L  T  B  R  J«L  U  ^^ 

OK   THE 

Theoloqical    Seminary, 

BV    4905     .B8    1844 

Buchanan,  James,  1804-1870. 

Comfort  in  affliction 

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COBIFORT  IN    AFFLICTION: 


A   SERIES    OF 


MEDITATIONS, 


BY 


y 


JAMES    BUCHANAN,    D.D, 


FREE    CHURCH.   EDINBURGH. 


'<  This  is  my  Comfort  in  mine  affliction :  for  thy  Word  hath  quickened  me." 


SECOND  AMERICAN  FROM  THE  ELEVENTH  LONDON  EDITION^ 


NEW  YORK: 

ROBERT  CARTER,  58  CANAL  STREET.' 

PITTSBURG :— THOMAS  CARTER. 

1844. 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 
To  THE  Afflicted,  9 

MEDITATION  I. 

«  The  Lord  reigneth."— Ps.  xcvir.  1, 16 

MEDITATION  II. 

"  He  doth  not  afflict  willingly,  nor  grieve  the  children  of 
men." — Lam.  in,  33,    25 

MEDITATION  III. 

"  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten 
Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  might  not  perish, 
but  might  have  eternal  life." — John  hi,  16,  47 

MEDITATION  IV. 

"  Him  that  coraeth  to  me  I  will  in  nowise  cast  out. — John 
VI.  37, 63 

MEDITATION  V. 

"  The  mountains  shall  depart,  and  the  hills  be  removed,  but 
my  kindness  shall  not  depart  from  thee,  neither  shall 
the  covenant  of  my  peace  be  removed  saith  the  Lord 
that  hath  mercy  on  thee," — Isa,  liv.  10, 80 

MEDITATION  VL 

"  We  have  a  great  High  Priest  that  is  passed  into  the  heav- 
ens, Jesus  the  Son  of  God," — ''  not  an  High  Priest 
which  cannot  be  touched  with  the  feeling  of  our  infirm- 
ities, but  was  in  all  points  tempted  like  as  we  are,  yet 
without  sin." — Heb.  iv.  14,  15,    94 


VUl  CONTENTS. 

MEDITATION  VII.  '^^' 

"  Whom  the  Lor  J  loi'eth  he  chasteneth,  and  scourgeth 
every  son  whom  he  rcccivelh." 

**  No  chasteninfT  for  the  present  seems  to  be  joyous,  but 
grievous ;  nevertheless,  atterward  it  yieldeth  the  peace- 
able fruits  of  ri  fhteouanf  ss  in  them  which  arc  exercised 
thereby."— Heb.  xn.  6—11,  115 

MEDITATION  VIII. 

"  Fear  not;  I  am  he  that  liveth  and  was  dead,  and  am  aUve 
f  jr  evermore,  Amen :  and  have  the  keys  of  hell  and  of 
death."— Rev.  i.  18,    134 

MEDITATION  IX. 

"  And  one  of  the  elders  answered,  saying  unto  me,  What 
are  those  which  are  arrayed  in  white  robes'?  and  whence 
came  they  7  And  I  said  unto  him.  Sir,  thou  knowest. 
And  he  said  unto  me,  These  are  they  which  came  out 
of  jxreot  tribuhition,  and  have  washed  their  robes,  and 
made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  Therefore 
are  they  uow  before  the  throne  of  God." — Rev.  vn.  13,     159 

MEDITATION   X. 

"  Thou  wilt  show  me  the  path  of  life ;  in  thy  presence  is  ful- 
ness of  joy  ;  at  thy  right  hand  are  pleasures  for  ever- 
more."— Ps.  XVI.  11,  173 

MEDITATION  XL 

"  Therefore  we  are  always  confident,  knowinjr  that,  whilst 
we  are  at  home  in  the  body,  we  are  absent  from  the 
Lord ;  (for  we  wnlk  bv  fiith,  not  bv  si<i1it ;)  we  arc  con- 
fident, I  say,  and  willing  rather  to  be  absent  from  the 
body,  and  to  be  present  with  the  Lord." — 2  Cuu.  v.U,     'JOo 

MEDITATION  XII. 

"  Is  any  among  you  afllictedl  Let  him  pray." — James  v.  13,  COG 


TO  THE  AFFLICTED. 


Mourners  in  Zion,  be  comforted !  if  yours  be  a  life 
of  sorrow,  yours  also  is  a  religion  of  hope.  If  the 
book  of  Providence  seem  to  you  to  be  "written 
within  and  without,"  like  Ezekiel's  roll,  in  characters 
of  "  lamentation,  and  mourning,  and  woe,"  the  Bible 
is  filled  with  consolation  and  peace;  and  the  more 
stormy  your  passage  through  this  world,  the  more 
awful  God's  judgments,  the  more  severe  and  con- 
founding your  trials  and  bereavements  may  be,  the 
more  should  that  blessed  book  be  endeared  to  your 
hearts,  of  which  every  true  disciple  will  say,  with  the 
afflicted  Psalmist, "  This  is  my  comfort  in  mine  afflic- 
tion." 

It  is  not  one  of  the  least  benefits  of  severe  affliction, 
that  it  shatters  our  confidence  in  every  other  stay,  and 
breaks  up  our  hopes  from  every  other  quarter,  and 
leads  us,  in  simplicity,  to  search  the  Word  of  God  for 
comfort ;  nor  is  it  one  of  the  least  recommendations 
of  that  precious  book,  that  its  characters  become  more 
bright  in  proportion  as  all  else  around  us  is  dark,  and 
that,  when  all  other  information  becomes  insipid  or 


10  TO  THE  AFFLICTED.  ^ 

nauseous,  its  truths  are  rendered  only  the  more  sweet 
and  refreshing  by  the  bitter  draught  of  sorrow.  The 
Bible  cannot  be  known  in  its  excellence,  nor  its  truths 
relished  in  their  sweetness,  nor  its  promises  duly  ap- 
preciated and  enjoyed,  until,  by  adversity,  all  other 
consolation  is  lost,  and  all  other  hopes  destroyed ;  but 
then,  when  we  carry  it  with  us  into  the  fiery  furnace 
of  affliction,  like  the  aromatic  plant,  which  must  be 
burnt  before  the  precious  perfume  is  felt,  it  emits  a 
refreshing  fragrance,  and  is  relished  in  proportion  as 
our  suflferings  are  great.  Glorious  peculiarity  !  other 
books  may  amuse  the  hours  of  ease ;  other  knowledge 
may  suffice  to  pass  the  short  day  of  prosperity,  but 
this  book  only  is  for  the  hour  of  sorrow ;  this  know- 
ledge comes  to  my  aid  when  all  other  knowledge  fails ; 
and,  like  the  sweet  stars  of  heaven,  the  truths  of  God 
shine  most  brightly  in  the  darkest  night  of  sorrow. 

And  why  is  it  so  ?  Is  it  because  the  Bible  denies  the 
existence  of  sorrow  and  suflfering  ?  or,  because  it  re- 
presents the  afflictions  of  life  as  being  few  in  number, 
or  easy  to  be  borne  ?  Does  it  seek  to  withdraw  our 
attention  from  them  ?  or,  does  it  ridicule  the  feelings 
which  such  afflictions  awaken,  and  enjoin  a  heartless 
indifference  to  whatever  may  befall  us  ?  Does  it  mock 
the  friendships  of  nature,  and  scorn  our  feelings  when 
these  friendships  are  broken  up  by  bereavement?  God 
forbid !  On  the  contrary,  the  Bible  proceeds  on  the 
assumption  that  sorrow  and  sufferLng  prevail  in  the 
world  ;  that  all,  without  exception,  are  liable  to  their 
depressing  influence,  and,  so  far  from  representing  them 


TO  THE  AFFLICTED.  U 

as  being  few  in  number,  or  easy  to  be  borne,  it  pre- 
sents a  picture  of  human  life,  "vyhich,  in  the  season  of 
youth  and  hope,  many  may  be  disposed  to  regard  as 
gloomy  and  exaggerated,  but  which,  in  the  hour  of 
sorrow,  comes  home  to  the  heart  as  the  only  faithful 
representation  of  this  state  of  trial.  It  declares  to  every 
disciple,  that  in  "  the  world  he  shall  have  tribulation," 
and  that,  although  "  trouble  springs  not  from  the  dust, 
nor  sorrow  from  the  ground,  yet  man  is  bom  to  sor- 
row as  the  sparks  fly  upwards."  Nor  does  it  seek  to 
withdraw  our  attention  from  the  afflictions  of  life ;  on 
the  contrary,  it  presses  them  on  our  regard ;  it  declares 
them  to  be  a  proper  and  salutary  subject  of  contempla- 
tion, and  affirms,  "  that  it  is  better  to  go  to  the  house 
of  mourning,  than  to  the  house  of  mirth."  And,  in 
doing  so,  it  is  far  from  enjoining  us  to  contemplate  any 
scene  of  sorrow,  with  heartless  indifference,  or  stoical 
imconcem.  That  religion  which  commands  us  to 
''  weep  with  those  who  weep,*'  cannot  be  supposed  to 
condemn  the  tears  which  we  shed  over  our  own  sor- 
rows or  bereavements ;  nor  can  its  Divine  Author,  who 
wept  over  the  grave  of  Lazarus,  be  regarded  as  the 
pattern  of  his  people,  if,  unlike  him,  they  are  to  derive 
their  support  in  the  hour  of  sorrow  from  the  suppres- 
sion of  those  feelings  which  nature  prompts,  and  of 
those  tears  which  nature  sheds,  over  the  grave  of 
friendship.  And  if  stoical  apathy  and  indifference  be 
not  enjoined,  far  less  does  the  Bible  sanction  or  coun- 
tenance that  bitter  ridicule  of  human  suffering,  and 
that  sarcastic  contempt  of  human  life,  which,  in  the 


12  TO  THE  AFFLICTED. 

madness  of  despair,  some  have  been  tempted  to  in- 
dulge, and  -which  has  led  them  to  strip  man  of  his 
rightful  dignity,  and  life  of  its  due  importance,  and  to 
regard  the  chequered  scene  of  Jiis  existence  -svith  mis- 
anthropic bitterness,  and  even  the  last  tragic  scene  of 
dissolution  -with  morbid  unconcern.  Ah  !  little  would 
such  a  scheme  have  suited  the  hearts  ■which  God  hath 
given  us !  but  the  Bible  breathes  the  spirit  of  compas- 
sion over  all  our  sorrows ;  its  Divine  Author  sympa- 
thizes with  us  in  the  lowest  depths  of  our  affliction ; 
he  ridicules  not  even  the  weakness  of  nature,  but  ten- 
derly upbinds  the  heart  when  it  bleeds ;  for,  "  even  as 
a  father  jiitieth  his  children,  so  the  Lord  pitieth  them 
that  fear  him"  and  that  divine  pity  breathes  through- 
out every  page  of  Scripture. 

The  grand  peculiarity  of  the  Bible,  as  a  book  of  con- 
solation, is,  that  while  it  seeks  not  to  cast  our  suffer- 
ings into  the  shade,  but  rather  sets  them  before  us  in 
all  their  variety  and  magnitude,  it  teaches  us  to  find 
consolation  in  the  midst  of  acknowledged  sorrow,  and 
causes  light  to  arise  out  of  the  deepest  darkness.  In 
many  respects,  it  gives  a  more  gloomy  view  of  human 
life  than  we  are  ofttimes  willing  to  entertain.  It  re- 
presents affliction  as  ordained  for  us,  and  appointed  so 
that  it  cannot  be  escaped.  It  tells  us  that  our  future 
life  will  be  chequered  with  trials,  even  as  the  past  has 
been.  It  gives  no  assurance  of  respite  from  suffering, 
so  long  as  we  are  in  this  world.  And,  when  it  traces 
these  afflictive  events  to  their  causes, — when  it  repre- 
sents suffering  as  the  fruit  and  the  ^ages  of  sm,— when 


TO  THE  AFFLICTED.  10 

it  cHarges  us  with  guilt,  and  affirms  that  we  have  pro- 
voked the  Lord  to  anger, — when  it  leads  us  to  regard 
our  sorrows  as  connected  with  our  characters,  and  in- 
flicted by  a  righteous  governor  and  judge, — and  when, 
carrying  our  eye  beyond  this  world  altogether,  it  points 
to  an  eternal  state  of  retribution,  where  sorrows  infi- 
nitely more  severe,  and  judgments  infinitely  more  con- 
founding, await  impenitent  and  unforgiven  guilt, — ^it 
does  present  such  a  view  of  our  present  condition  and 
future  prospects,  as  may  well  fill  us  with  awe  and 
alarm ; — and  yet  still  it  is  the  book  of  consolation ; 
still  it  contains  the  elements  of  peace,  the  seed  of  hope, 
the  well-spring  of  eternal  joy.  It  is  out  of  the  very 
darkness  of  our  present  state  and  our  eternal  prospects, 
that  the  brightness  of  that  dawn  appears  which  shall 
issue  in  everlasting  day;  the  golden  rays  of  divine 
light  and  love  appear  in  the  midst  of  that  thick  cloud ; 
the  cup  of  bitterness  is  sweetened  by  an  infusion  of 
mercy,  so  that  the  Christian  can  be  "joyful  in  the 
midst  of  tribulation,"  and  "greatly  rejoice,  though 
now,  for  a  season,  if  need  Je,  he  is  in  heaviness, 
through  manifold  temptations." 

For,  while  the  Bible  spreads  out  to  our  view  the 
whole  scene  of  human  Hfe,  chequered  with  every  va- 
riety of  shade,  it  raises  our  eye  above  it,  and  reveals  a 
superhuman  and  spiritual  System,  which  stretches  over 
and  comprehends  every  part  of  it, — a  System  founded 
on  principles  which  are  as  fixed  as  the  incidents  of 
human  Hfe  are  fluctuating, — a  System  which  overrules 
eveiy  event  that  may  happen,  and  determines  them  all, 

2 


14  To  THE  AFFLICTED. 

Lowever  casual  they  may  seem  to  be,  to  some  great  and 
lofty  end, — a  System  >vliich,  although  in  its  immensity 
it  is  incomprehensible,  and,  in  many  of  its  bearings, 
mysterious,  is,  nevertheless,  when  in  any  measure  un- 
derstood, a  great  and  lofty  System,  and  obscure  only 
because  of  its  transcendent  grandeur, — which  gives 
stability  to  what  was  before  uncertain,  and  tlirows 
light  on  what  was  formerly  dark,  and  imparts  regu- 
larity and  order  to  what  might  otherwise  seem  to  be  a 
"world  ^not  only  of  -vicissitude,  but  of  chance.  It  is  by 
revealing  this  spiritual  and  superhuman  System,  that 
the  Bible  seeks  to  elevate  our  minds  out  of  the  depres- 
sion which  the  present  aspects  of  the  world  might 
occasion;  not  by  concealing  the  dark  aspect  of  "  things 
seen  and  temporal,"  but  by  bringing  into  view  along 
with  them,  the  glory  of  "  things  unseen  and  eternal ;" 
not  by  disputing  the  reality  of  those  afflictions  which 
we  feel,  and  underrating  their  magnitude,  but  by  show- 
ing us  their  necessity  and  suitableness,  as  means  under 
a  higher  economy  than  that  of  the  present  life — an 
economy  which  stretches  from  eternity  to  eternity — 
which  comprehends  in  its  course  all  orders  of  creatures, 
and  every  class  of  events,  and  which  controls  and 
overrules  them  all  for  the  promotion  of  an  end  worthy 
of  the  magnitude  of  the  scheme,  and  infinitely  im- 
portant to  ourselves. 

Believing  that  the  Bible  furnishes  the  only  rational 
account  of  the  origin  and  design  of  suffering  under 
God's  government,  the  only  genuine  and  abiding  soiu-ce 
of  consolation  under  sorrow,  and  the  only  sure  antidote 


TO  THE  AFFLICTED.  15 

against  the  fears  which  must  ever  be  associated  with  a 
sense  of  guilt,  I  propose  to  select  from  Scripture,  and 
to  illustrate,  in  a  short  series  of  Meditations,  the  prin- 
cipal topics  which  bear  on  this  subject,  so  as  both  to 
justify  God  in  his  ways  of  deahng  with  men,  and  to 
point  out  the  method  of  deliverance  and  the  grounds 
of  hope  which  he  has  offered  for  their  consolation  and 
comfort. 


MEDITATION  1. 

Ps.  cxrc.  50 •*  This  is  my  comfort  in  mine  affliction:** 

**  The  Lord  reigneth."—Ps.  xcvil  1. 

The  Bible  lays  a  solid  ground  for  our  comfort,  when 
it  assures  us  that  all  things  are  under  the  goYemment 
of  God. 

He  superintends  the  affairs  of  this  world,  both  as 
the  provident  parent  and  as  the  moral  gOYemor  of  his 
creatures. 

The  Bible  declares  that  God  created  them,  and  that 
whatsoever  beings  he  deigned  to  create,  he  does  not 
disdain  to  care  for.  It  assures  us  that  no  being  is  so 
great  as  to  be  exempt  from  his  control,  and  none  so 
little  as  to  be  beneath  his  regard  ;  and,  in  like  manner, 
that  his  eye  is  directed  to  every  event  which  may  befall 
any  one  of  his  creatures,  no  event  being  either  so 
momentous  or  so  insignificant,  as  to  be  beyond  his 
management  or  unworthy  of  his  notice.  The  sparrow 
which  falleth  to  the  earth  is  not  less  an  object  of  his 
regard  than  the  seraph  that  stands  before  his  throne. 


MEDITATION  I.     ,  17 

That  all  his  creatures  in  this  world,  and  all  the  events 
of  human  life,  of  what  kind  soever  they  may  be,  are 
under  any  kind  of  regulation  or  control,  is,  of  itself, 
fitted  to  banish  that  feeling  of  imcertainty  and  hope- 
lessness which  the  aspect  of  events  might  otherwise 
awaken.  And  how  important  to  know  that  nothing 
happens  by  chance, — that  every  thing  is  ordained  and 
appointed  according  to  certain  principles  which  are 
fixed  and  stable,  and  that  these  principles  will  continue 
to  be  developed,  till  the  grand  end  of  God's  govern- 
ment shall  have  been  attained ! 

But,  however  important  this  information  may  be,  it 
could  ill  suffice  to  cheer  the  heart  amidst  its  sorrows, 
or  to  inspire  that  living  hope  which  alone  can  bear  us 
up  under  their  heavy  pressure,  were  we  not  farther 
assured,  that  the  government  under  which  we  live  is 
conducted  by  a  God  of  infinite  intelltgetice  and  wisdom 
— a  being  who  cannot  err — one  who  knows  the  end 
from  the  beginning,  and  is  alike  incapable  of  choosing 
an  improper  end,  or  of  employing  unsuitable  means  for 
its  attainment.  A  persuasion  of  God's  perfect  wisdom 
in  the  management  of  our  afiairs  is  the  more  needful, 
in  proportion  as  we  feel  our  own  helplessness,  and  are 
taught,  by  disappointments  and  trials,  that  our  affairs 
are  too  high  and  too  great  to  be  managed  by  ourselves; 
and  when  assured  of  this  precious  truth,  we  shall  the 
more  Readily  submit  to  all  his  appointments,  satisfied, 
that  although  we  know  not  the  plan  of  his  operations, 
yet  it  is  known  and  approved  of  by  One  whose  wisdom 
is  the  best  guarantee  of  the  universe.     And  thus,  too, 

2* 


]  8  MEDITATION  I. 

^11  the  idea  of  blind  fate  he  excluded,  not  less  than 
the  idea  of  chance, — that  fate  in  which  many  have 
found  a  miserable  refuge,  -when  they  saw  too  much 
imiformity  in  nature  to  warrant  the  belief  that  it  was 
governed  by  chance. 

Still  the  heart  desiderates  something  more.  It  is 
not  enough  that  the  world  is  neither  left  to  the  random 
vicissitudes  of  chance,  nor  governed  by  a  blind  and 
inexorable  fate.  It  is  not  enough  for  our  comfort  to 
know  that  a  God  of  infinite  intelligence  presides  over 
its  affairs,  and  that  its  laws  are  the  emanations  of  his 
wisdom.  Great  and  glorious  as  these  discoveries  are, 
the  heart  longs  to  know  the  character^  not  less  than 
the  wisdom  of  that  Almighty  Being,  and  to  be  made 
acquainted,  if  not  with  his  secret  purposes,  at  least  with 
the  nature  of  his  moral  perfections,  and  his  dispositions 
towards  ourselves.  It  were  a  small  consolation  to  re- 
flect, that  our  affairs  are  managed  by  infinite  wisdom, 
could  we,  "^-ithout  a  contradiction,  imagine,  notAWtli- 
standing,  that  such  a  being  is  indifferent  to  our  welfare, 
or  that  he  might  be  disposed  to  relinquish  our  cause, 
from  a  regard  to  other  interests  more  important ;  or, 
more  awful  still,  that  his  wisdom  existed  apart  from 
love,  and  was  associated  with  such  dispositions  as  could 
prompt  the  purpose,  and  such  power  as  must  insure 
the  accomplishment,  of  our  ruin.  And  but  for  the 
revelation  of  his  true  character,  the  heart  which  stands 
most  in  need  of  consolation,  might  be  the  most  apt  to 
entertain  the  sad  conclusion,  that  God  cared  not  for  its 
sorrows  or  joys ;  for,  when  bleeding  under  the  stroke 


MEDITATION  I.  19 

of  affliction,  and  stunned  by  the  shock  of  bereavement, 
we  contemplate  the  dark  and  uncertain  aspects  of  the 
present  world,  it  requires  no  slight  knowledge  of  God's 
moral  perfections,  and  no  weak  or  wavering  confidence 
in  his  intentions,  to  still  the  tumult  of  grief,  and  arrest 
the  progress  of  grief  towards  despair. 

But  here,  as  at  every  other  point  of  peril,  the  Bible 
comes  to  our  aid ;  and,  as  if  this  point  were  the  most 
perilous  of  all,  it  throws  such  a  flood  of  light  on  the 
moral  character  and  benevolent  dispositions  of  God,  as 
may  well  warrant  the  supposition  that  it  was  mainly 
given  to  convince  us  of  his  love,  and  to  enable  us  to 
cherish  the  most  confident  trust  in  his  faithfulness  and 
mercy,  even  when  the  aspects  of  his  providence  are  the 
most  trying  to  jur  patience  and  faith. 

The  Bible  declares  the  perfect  7'ectitude  of  the  divine 
character.  It  assures  us  that  "he  is  just  in  all  his 
ways,  and  holy  in  all  his  works."  It  represents  him 
as  the  Righteous  Governor  of  the  universe,  whose  laws 
are  in  perfect  consistency  with  the  principles  of  equity, 
and  whose  character  is  in  accordance  with  his  laws. 
Referring  to  those  principles  of  morality  which  are  en- 
graven on  the  heart  of  man,  it  declares  that  they  were 
engraven  by  the  finger  of  God,  and  that  conscience  is 
his  vicegerent,  speaking  to  us  in  his  name,  and  making 
known  to  us  the  principles  of  his  moral  administration. 
And  it  unfolds  a  more  copious  code  of  morality,  in 
which  the  same  principles  are  revealed,  for  our  better 
information  and  surer  guidance, — principles  which,  be- 
ing engraven  in  the  book  of  nature,  and  revealed  in  the 


20  MEDITATION  I. 

"written  "Word,  are  infallibly  certain,  and  ought  to  Ibe 
regarded  as  a  true  manifestation  of  the  righteous  char- 
acter of  Him,  -who  is  the  author  alike  of  nature  and 
of  revelation.  By  both,  -sve  are  assured  that  unerring 
rectitude  governs  the  universe, — that  nothing  in  the 
shape  of  evil  will  be  permitted  to  befall  us,  -which  is  not 
in  perfect  consistency  with  justice ;  and  that  God  will; 
exercise  such  discernment  in  his  treatment  of  men,  as 
omniscient  wisdom,  combined  with  infinite  rectitude, 
alone  could  insure. 

"Were  we  assured  only  of  the  infinite  wisdom  and 
rectitude  of  that  government  under  which  we  live,  we 
might  derive  from  these  considerations,  if  not  a  good 
reason  of  hope,  at  least  a  sufficient  motive  to  silent 
resignation ;  but  it  were  more  consoling  still,  did  we 
know  that  our  governor  and  judge  is  not  only  wise  and 
righteous,  but  favourably  disposed  towards  us,  and 
interested  in  our  welfare.  Power,  wisdom,  and  recti- 
tude, render  the  character  of  an  earthly  sovereign 
venerable  and  august ;  but  love  to  his  subjects  gives 
him  the  more  endearing  character  of  the  father  of  his 
people.  And  such  a  father  is  God  to  all  his  subjects. 
Every  where  throughout  his  vast  dominions  does  his 
benevolence  extend, — a  benevolence  which,  like  the 
light  and  heat  of  the  sun,  diffuses  itself  over  all  lauds, 
and,  while  it  gilds  the  scene  of  joy  and  prosperity, 
penetrates  also  the  lowliest  cot,  and  cheers  the  deepest 
scene  of  sorrow.  Go  where  you  will,  the  kindness  of 
God  appears ;  all  nature  bears  witness  to  its  bounty, 
*'  the  earth  is  full  of  its  richness."     Look  to  the 


MEDITATION  I.  21 

structure  of  nature,  the  constitution  of  your  own  being, 
and  the  course  of  providence,  and  in  each,  you  will 
discern  such  proofs  of  his  love,  condescension,  and  care, 
as  may  well  assure  you  of  his  interest  in  your  welfare, 
and  of  his  disposition  to  make  you  happy.  Had  he  been 
indifferent  to  human  happiness,  or  disposed  to  inflict 
unnecessary  suffering,  why  that  admirable  adaptation 
betwixt  your  faculties,  and  the  objects  by  which  they 
are  at  once  exercised  and  gratified?  Why  that  adequate 
supply  in  nature  for  every  craving  of  desire  within 
you  ?  Why  that  beauty  which  delights  the  eye,  that 
music  which  charms  the  ear,  that  air  which  refreshes 
and  invigorates,  that  food  which  nourishes  the  body  ? 
Why  those  facilities  of  obtaining  knowledge,  and  those 
powers  of  enjoying  it  in  the  hour  of  sweet  meditation  ? 
Why  does  the  sun  keep  its  appointed  time,  and  the 
moon  her  seasons  ?  Why  does  the  rain  fall  and  the 
dew  distil  ?  Why  does  spring  prepare  the  ground,  and 
summer  raise  the  blade,  and  autumn  yield  her  fruit  ? 
Why,  but  that  God  who  governs  all,  cares  and  provides 
for  us,  as  a  father  for  his  children  ?  Else,  where  now 
there  is  harmony,  might  not  opposition  have  existed 
betwixt  the  faculties  of  our  being,  and  the  objects  by 
which  we  are  surrounded  ?  Might  not  appetite  have 
been  made  to  crave,  and  no  supply  have  been  provid- 
ed ?  Might  not  an  eye  longing  for  beauty,  have  open- 
ed only  on  deformity  ?  Might  not  the  ear  which  loves 
the  music  of  sweet  sounds,  have  been  distracted  by 
discord  ?  The  air  which  now  refreshes  and  invigorates, 
might  have  been  an  oppressive  or  noxious  exhalation , 


22  MEDITATION  I. 

instead  of  nourishing  food,  we  might  have  had  husks, 
or  garbage,  or  poison :  those  faculties  of  thouglit  and 
reflection  which  constitute  our  highest  dignity,  might 
have  been  withheld,  and  we  should  have  resembled  the 
beasts  that  perish,  or  they  might  have  been  so  disorder- 
ed and  deranged  in  their  operation,  that  they  would  toil 
in  vain,  and  only  err  the  more  the  farther  they  seemed 
to  carry  us  :  or  the  objects  and  laws  of  nature,  and  the 
truths  of  science  and  religion,  might  have  been  hid  iu 
impenetrable  mystery,  or  so  complicated  as  to  mock 
the  utmost  eflforts  of  our  poAvers.  And  when  the  reverse 
of  all  this  is  the  case,  shall  we  not  acknowledge  that 
nature  herself  bears  ample  proof,  in  the  structure  of 
our  being,  and  the  provision  which  has  been  made  for 
our  happiness,  that  God  is  good  as  well  as  great^  that 
his  benevolence  is  as  vast  as  his  wisdom,  and  that  our 
wellbeing  is  matter  of  his  concern,  even  as  our  being 
itself  was  derived  from  his  will. 

Nature  can  carry  us  thus  far,  and  thus  far  it  carries 
us  with  the  sanction  of  Scripture.  That  blessed  book 
assures  us  that  "  God  is  love," — that  "  his  tender 
mercies  ate  over  all  his  works," — that  "  he  is  good 
unto  all," — and  that  "  he  has  never  left  himself  with- 
out witness,  in  that  he  did  good,  and  gave  us  rain 
from  heaven  and  fruitful  seasons,  filling  our  hearts 
with  food  and  gladness." 

Viewing  ourselves  as  subjects  of  his  government, 
surely  these  considerations,  drawn  from  the  simplest 
elements  of  religion,  should  exercise  some  influence 
over  our  hearts,  when  we  meditate  on  the  chequered 


MEDITATION  I.  23 

scene  of  human  life.  When  we  contemplate  the 
numerous  dangers  to  which  we  are  exposed,  our  ovm 
ignorance  of  the  means  of  securing  safety,  and  our 
titter  want  of  command,  in  some  cases,  of  the  means 
that  are  necessary,  and,  in  all,  of  power  to  render  them 
effectual ;  and  when,  in  consequence,  we  feel  that  we 
cannot  calculate  on  the  course  of  events,  and  seem  to 
be  tossed  ahout  on  the  waves  of  a  troublous  and  un- 
certain sea,  surely  it  would  be  a  consolation  to  know 
that  infinite  wisdom  presides  over  all ;  that  to  God 
nothing  is  uncertain  or  contingent,  and  that,  whatever 
may  be  the  result,  nothing  can  happen  by  chance,  but 
every  thing  will  be  ordered  by  One  who  cannot  err. 
When,  again,  we  feel  that  we  are  involved  in  an 
inextricable  labyrinth  of  difficulties, — when  the  iron 
hand  of  necessity  seems  to  crush  us  to  the  earth  with- 
out leaving  one  hope  of  escape, — when  all  seems  to 
be  so  inevitably  fixed  and  certain,  that  our  prospects 
on  all  hands  are  shut  in  vnth  dark  clouds,  and  we  are 
brought  to  the  very  border  of  despair,  surely  it  is 
consolatory  to  reflect,  that  it  is  not  a  blind  or  inexor- 
able  fate  which  oppresses  us,  but  that  all  our  present 
difficulties  have  been  appointed  by  One  who  has  power 
to  relieve  as  well  as  to  afflict  us,  and  appointed,  too, 
for  reasons  which  are  satisfactory  to  omniscient  wis- 
dom. And  when,  again,  we  contemplate  the  prevalence 
of  suffering,  and  the  apparently  irregular  distribution 
of  good  and  evil  in  the  present  world ;  when  we  see 
many  in  prosperity,  while  we  are  ourselves  in  trouble, 
and  yet  are  at  a  loss  to  discover,  in  our  blindness,  the 


24  MEDITATION  I. 

reasons  for  wliich  such  unequal  measures  of  prosperity, 
are  dealt  out, — surely  we  may  ivell  allow  the  conside- 
ration of  God's  infinite  rectitude  to  quiet  our  murmur- 
ings,  and  to  allay  the  yiolence  of  our  regret,  especially 
when  we  are  so  ignorant  both  of  our  own  character 
and  of  theirs,  and  so  ill  qualified  to  judge  of  the  treat- 
ment which  is  best  for  us,  and  so  well  assured,  that 
the  principles  of  God's  government  shall  not  be  fully 
deyeloped,  nor  the  whole  results  of  his  dealings  vrith 
us  ascertained,  until  this  temporary  scene  of  trial  and 
discipline  shall  have  passed  away,  and  given  place  to 
that  eternal  state,  in  which  the  issues  of  time  ^vill  be 
fully  disclosed,  and  where  "God  shall  be  justified 
when  he  speaks,  and  clear  when  he  gives  his  final 
judgment/* 


MEDITATION  II. 

Ps.cxix.  50 — "  This  is  my  comfort  in  mixe  affliction  :  ** 

^'  He  doth  not  afflict  xcilllngly,  nor  grieve  the  children  of  men^-^ 

Lam.  III.  33. 

On  a  general  and  compreliensive  view  of  the  structure 
of  nature,  and  the  course  of  providence,  no  man  of 
ordinary  candour  will  fail  to  acknowledge,  that  we  live 
under  the  government  of  a  Being  essentially  wise  and 
just ;  and  that  the  moral  faculties  with  which  he  has 
endowed  his  creatures,  and  the  many  sources  of  grati- 
fication which  he  has  opened  for  their  enjoyment,  can 
only  be  ascribed  to  a  principle  in  the  divine  mind, 
which  approves  of  what  is  morally  good,  and  delights 
in  the  diflfusion  of  happiness. 

Yet,  notwithstanding  the  many  proofs  which  nature 
furnishes  of  the  rectitude  and  benevolence  of  the  Great 
Author  of  our  being,  it  cannot  be  denied,  that  suffer- 
ings to  a  very  great  extent,  exists  in  this  part  of  his 
dominions.  When  we  reflect  on  the  convulsions  of 
nature,  by  which  whole  cities  have  been  engulphed 
in  a  common  ruin ;  on  the  vicissitudes  of  the  seasons, 

9 


26  MEDITATION  II. 

by  -whlcli  famine  and  pestilence  Lave  been  sent  forth 
to  slay  tlieir  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands;  on  the 
existence  of  numerous  diseases,  which  are  secretly  un- 
dermining the  health  of  some,  and  will  ultimately  ter- 
minate the  lives  of  all ;  on  the  mass  of  suffering  which 
exists  In  the  various  asylums  to  Avhich  the  poor,  the 
diseased,  or  the  Insane,  are  carried  from  every  corner 
of  the  land  ;  on  the  numerous  chambers  where  private 
families  are  called  to  wait  on  the  slow  progress  of  de- 
cay, or  the  violent  paroxysms  of  fever,  or  where  the 
poor  paralytic,  half  living,  half  dead,  drags  on  the 
weary  hours  of  an  ambiguous  existence  ;  on  the  numer- 
ous families  pining  under  the  iron  hand  of  povert}-,  or 
more  dreadful  still,  rent  by  the  evil  passions  and  loose 
jDropensities  of  one  or  more  of  their  members ;  on  tlic 
disasters  Avhich  bankruptcy  occasions,  when  families, 
accustomed  to  the  comforts  and  convenlenclcs  of  life, 
are  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  abandoning  t\]\  tbcir 
former  habits  and  tlieir  fondest  hopes,  and  of  betaking 
themselves,  if  fit  for  the  task,  to  daily  toil, — if  unfit,  to 
humiliating  dependence ;  on  the  truly  commiserable 
case  of  widows  mid  orphans,  deprived  of  their  natural 
protectors  and  guardians,  and  thrown  on  the  cold  cha- 
rities of  the  world ;  and  finally,  on  the  vast  charnel- 
house  of  death,  where  all  the  friends  we  once  loved, 
and  all  the  worth  Ave  once  revered,  iuul  all  the  holies 
W'C  once  cherished,  lie  buried  in  deep  forgetfulness ; — 
oh !  when  we  reflect  on  these  varied  scenes  of  humilia- 
tion and  sorrow,  who  tliat  has  a  humim  heart  can  fail 
to  weep  over  the  afflictions  of  human  life,  or  to  feel  that 


MEDITATION  II.  27 

*lie  wisdom  and  benevolence  of  God  being  certain^ 
there  must  be  Bome  profound  reason  for  such  painful 
providences  as  these  ? 

Again,  notwithstanding  the  many  proofs  which  the 
moral  constitution  of  our  own  being  and  the  course  of 
providence  present,  of  the  rectitude  and  holiness  of  the 
Governor  of  the  world,  it  cannot  escape  the  observa- 
tion even  of  the  most  superficial  inquirer,  that  here 
the  measures  of  outward  prosperity  and  adversity  are 
by  no  means  dealt  out  according  to  the  comparative 
deserts  of  men ;  that  manj'  whose  conduct  has  best 
attested  the  excellence  of  their  character,  are  in  deep 
trouble,  while  others,  who  neither  practise  nor  profess 
religion,  live  in  unbounded  prosperity ;  that  the  pure 
and  upright  are  not  unfrequently  immersed  in  poverty, 
while  the  profligate  are  surrounded  with  wealth ;  that 
the  good  often  groan  under  the  oppression  of  the 
wicked,  to  whom  power  is  given  over  their  fellow- 
men  ;  and  that  tbe  whole  world  presents  a  different 
aspect  from  what  the  innate  dictates  of  our  moral  na- 
ture would  lead  us  to  expect,  were  this  a  state  of  retri- 
bution under  the  government  of  a  righteous  judge. 

One  of  the  most  solemnly  interesting  inquiries  to 
which  the  thoughts  of  a  reflecting  mind  can  be  directed 
is, — To  what  cause  are  we  to  attribute  the  prevalence 
and  the  unequal  distribution  of  affliction  in  the  pre- 
sent state  ?  And  the  solution  of  this  question  will 
lead  to  another  of  equal  importance  and  interest,  viz., 
How  far  these  afflictions  should  affect  our  confidence 
in  God,  or  our  future  hopes  under  his  government  ? 


25  MEDITATION  II. 

In  reference  to  the  first  of  these  questions,  viz.,  To 
"what  cause  wc  are  to  attribute  the  prevalence  and  the 
unequal  distribution  of  affliction  in  the  present  state, — 
both  reason  and  Scripture  concur  in  ascribing  every 
affliction  with  which  men  are  visited,  to  the  pin-pose 
and  providence  of  God.  Suffering  does  not  arise  for- 
tuitously in  his  dominions,  but  is  the  product  of  liis 
deliberate  counsel,  and  the  result  of  laws  which  he  has 
established  for  the  government  of  his  subjects.  It  is 
neither  a  necessary  adjunct,  nor  a  casual  accident  of 
our  nature  ;  not  necessary,  for  omniscient  wisdom  and 
almighty  power  might  constitute  even  a  created  being 
"without  suffering, — such  are  now  the  angels  in  heaven, 
and  such  was  man  before  the  Fall ;  nor  accidental,  for 
that  were  to  exempt  the  happiness  of  his  creatures 
from  God's  control,  and  virtually  to  set  aside  his  over- 
ruling providence.  It  is  true,  that  suffering  sometimes 
proceeds  so  immediately  and  so  manifestly  from  the 
conduct  of  individual  men,  that  to  their  follies  or  vices 
it  may  be  ascribed  as  its  proximate  cause, — the  horrors 
of  disease  being  the  natural  fruit  of  profligate  manners, 
and  the  hardships  of  poverty  resulting  naturally  from 
habits  of  indolent  indulgence,  or  improvident  thought- 
lessness. But  even  in  such  cases,  these  afflictive  results 
are  determined  by  a  law  which  God  has  established, — 
a  law  which  attaches  health  and  comfort  to  frugal  and 
temjierate  habits,  and  entails  disease  and  penury  on  the 
opposite  vices ;  and  God  being  the  author  of  that  con- 
stitution of  things  under  which  we  live,  to  his  sove- 
reign will  we  must  look  as  the  ultimate  cause  of  such 


MEDITATION  H.  29 

a  connection  betwixt  sin  and  its  appropriate  misery. 
And,  in  other  cases,  as  in  the  dread  visitation  of  famine, 
or  pestilence,  or  the  more  ordinary  occurrence  of  family 
bereavement,  we  see  his  hand,  as  it  were,  visibly  stretch- 
ed forth :  "  Is  there  evil  in  a  city,"  saith  the  sacred 
■writer,  " and  the  Lord  hath  not  done  it  ? "  "I  form 
the  light  and  create  darkness,  I  make  peace  and  create 
evil ;  I  the  Lord  do  all  these  things."  It  was  the  Lord 
who  rained  fire  and  brimstone  out  of  heaven  on  the 
cities  of  the  plain;  it  was  the  Lord  who  sent  the 
deluge  on  the  earth,  until  all  men  and  every  living 
thing  died ;  It  was  the  Lord  who  glorified  himself  in 
the  destruction  of  the  Egyptian  host ;  and  he  still 
guards  us  against  the  foolish  notion  that  the  suffer- 
ings of  life  are  fortuitous  or  accidental,  lest  we  should 
thereby  be  led  to  overlook  his  hand  in  them,  and  so 
"  to  despise  the  chastening  of  the  Lord." 

Every  affliction,  then,  with  which  any  of  us  Is  visit- 
ed, is  the  result  of  God's  deliberate  purpose,  and  no 
evil  befiills  us  without  his  permission  or  appointment. 
Nor  are  our  afflictions  to  be  regarded  as  the  results  of 
the  careless  or  capricious  exercise  of  almighty  power ; 
but,  on  the  contrary,  they  are  to  be  ascribed  to  the 
most  comprehensive  wisdom,  acting  according  to  prin- 
ciples which  are  fixed  and  determined  as  laws  of  the 
divine  government.  God  Is  not  a  careless  or  Inatten- 
tive spectator  of  Avhat  passes  amongst  his  subjects ;  he 
does  not  send  evil  amongst  them  at  random,  nor  with- 
out cause,  nor  without  a  well-defined  end  in  view : 
such  capricious  exercise  of  almighty  power  is  incom- 

3* 


30  MEDITATION  U. 

patible  "vvith  the  possession  of  omniscient  wisdom;  and 
as  liis  attributes  forbid,  so  no  exigency  in  his  govern- 
ment can  ever  require  it.  He  cannot  be  taken  bj  sur- 
prise, neither  can  he  act  from  the  impulse  of  momen- 
tary feeling :  every  attribute  of  his  nature,  and  every 
principle  of  his  government,  are  alike  stable  and  ex- 
cellent ;  and  from  these,  not  from  caprice  or  passion, 
does  affliction  spring.  Far  less  can  affliction  be  as- 
cribed to  the  deliberate  exercise  of  cruelty,  or  the  sud- 
den gust  of  revenge.  If  the  comprehensive  wisdom, 
the  almighty  power,  and  the  perfect  independence  of 
God,  forbid  us  to  imagine  that  he  can,  in  any  case, 
permit  evil  to  arise  through  negligence  or  caprice, 
Burely  the  infinite  benevolence  which  prompted  him 
to  communicate  being  to  his  creatures,  and  to  open  up 
for  them  so  many  sources  of  enjoyment,  may  well  for- 
bid the  thought  that  he  is  capable  of  cherishing  one 
vindictive  feeling,  or  of  taking  delight  in  the  infliction 
of  suff*ering.  Infinitely  great,  and  glorious,  and  happy 
in  himself,  what  possible  motive  can  exist  in  the  divine 
mind  for  the  exercise  of  these  cruel  and  vengeful  pas- 
sions, which  he  has  forbidden  his  own  creatures  to 
cherish,  and  by  which,  where  they  are  indulged,  his 
creatures  are  debased  ?  Shall  we  attribute  to  the  most 
glorious  Being  in  the  universe  those  passions  by  which 
only  the  basest  of  mankind  are  animated,  and  which, 
wherever  they  exist,  render  the  character  hateful,  and 
the  bosom  which  contains  them  wretched  as  well  as 
guilty  ?  God  forbid :  all  nature  bears  witness  to  the  be- 
nevolence of  its  author ;  and  that  benevolence  assures 


MEDITATION  U.  31 

US,  that  -Nvliateyer  evils  may  exist  under  his  government, 
they  are  not  inflicted  in  the  exercise  of  cruelty,  or  for 
the  gratification  of  passion, — that  to  whatever  other 
cause  they  may  he  ascribed,  they  cannot  he  referred  to 
any  disposition  on  the  part  of  God,  that  would  lead 
him  unnecessarily  to  make  his  creatures  unhappy,  or 
to  take  pleasure  in  their  suffering.  And,  in  addition 
to  the  testimony  of  nature,  God  does  most  solemnly 
disclaim  every  such  feeling,  and  assures  us,  "  that  he 
afflicts  not  willingly,  nor  grieves  the  children  of  men." 
In  these  words,  it  is  not  denied  that  affliction  pro- 
ceeds from  the  hand  of  God ;  on  the  contrary,  it  is 
admitted  that  he  does  afflict  and  grieve  the  children  of 
men  :  hut  then,  in  regard  to  the  disposition  and  feel- 
ings with  which  he  does  so,  it  is  affirmed  that  he 
"  affllcteth  not  willingly."  This  cannot  he  understood 
to  signify  that  affliction  comes  without  the  will,  or 
contrary  to  the  purpose  of  God,  or  that  he  does  not 
approve  of  the  painful  discipline  to  which  his  people 
are  subjected.  On  the  contrary,  every  suffering  which 
he  inflicts  is  the  fruit  of  his  deliberate  wisdom,  and  the 
object  of  his  holy  approbation.  But  when  it  is  said 
that  he  "  nfflicteth  not  willinglij"  we  are  given  to  un- 
derstand that  he  has  no  pleasure  in  the  misery  of  his 
creatures,  considered  in  itself,  and  apart  from  its  causes 
and  ends;  that  he  does  not  lift  the  rod  merely  to 
render  them  unhappy,  and  far  less  to  gratify  his  own 
passion  ;  that,  hut  for  moral  considerations,  physical 
happiness  is  with  him  a  far  more  pleasing  thing  than 
physical  suffering ;  and  that,  while  he  has  no  pleasure 


^ 


SIEDITATION  II. 


in  malving  his  subjects  "vvrctcliocl,  ho  doos  cleliglit  in 
their  comfort  nrifl  Avellbcinfi^,  This  view,  indeed,  of  the 
feehngs  witli  which  God  contempUites  the  sufferings 
of  his  creatures,  necessarily  arises  out  of  the  simplest 
idea  which  we  can  form  of  his  character,  as  a  perfectly 
"wise  and  good  Being ;  and  to  what  cause,  then,  it  may 
be  asked,  are  we  to  ascribe  the  sufferinjis  wliich  do 
actually  prevail  under  his  administration  ?  The  Bil)le 
enables  us  fully  to  answer  this  question,  by  the  views 
"which  it  presents  of  God's  character,  as  the  Governor 
of  the  world ;  and  of  the  present  state,  as  one  of  respite 
and  trial. 

God  is  revealed,  not  only  as  a  being  of  infinite  moral 
perfection  and  blessedness,  but  as  the  righteous  utoral 
governor  of  his  intelligent  creatures ;  and  the  course 
of  his  providence  is  represented  as  not  only  compre- 
hending the  means  by  which  he  preserves  tluni  in  ex- 
istence, but  also  as  constituting  the  discipline  liy  which 
the  ends  of  his  moral  government  are  fulfilled.  To  the 
idea  of  a  moral  government  a  law  of  some  kind  is  ab- 
solutely essential,  and  a  law  of  any  kind  being  given, 
it  was  necessary  that  it  should  be  accompanied  with 
such  sanctions  of  rcAvard  and  punishment,  as  might  put 
a  difference  betwixt  the  obedient  and  disobedient  sub- 
jects of  it.  Hence,  if  by  any  means  sin  should  aji]H'ar, 
God  determined  that  suffering  should  arise  along  with 
it ;  and  in  the  very  structure  of  our  own  being,  he  has 
instituted  physical  checks  as  well  as  moral  restraints  to 
disobedience,  and  has  connected  therewith  not  only  the 
pangs  of  an  accusing  conscience,  but  also  a  numerous 


MEDITATION  II.  38 

train  of  diseases,  and  the  sentence  of  death.  These 
arrangements,  by  which  suffering  is  inseparably  con- 
nected with  sin,  are  far  from  being  arbitrary ;  they 
flow  necessarily  from  the  perfections  of  the  divine  na- 
ture. Could  we,  indeed,  entertain,  for  one  instant,  the 
monstrous  idea,  that  God,  although  possessed  of  infi- 
nite power,  and  wisdom,  and  benevolence,  was,  never- 
theless, in  moral  respects,  a  being  of  a  neutral  charac- 
ter,— that  he  had  no  holiness,  no  rectitude,  no  justice, 
— that  he  had  no  predilection  for  one  style  of  moral 
character  in  his  subjects,  more  than  another, — that 
ingratitude,  and  sensuality,  and  deceit,  were  not  more 
offensive  to  him  than  the  opposite  virtues, — then,  and 
then  only,  could  we  conceive  of  him  lavishing  the 
wealth  of  almighty  power  and  unbounded  beneficence 
on  all  his  creatures  alike,  and  making  no  dificrence 
betwixt  seraphic  virtue  and  satanic  guilt ;  but,  being 
holy  and  just,  as  well  as  good,  he  must  necessarily 
approve  of  what  is  congenial  to  his  own  character,  and 
conformable  to  that  law  which  is  but  the  transcript  of 
his  character,  and  the  expression  of  his  unchangeable 
will.  Although,  therefore,  from  the  benevolence  of  his 
nature,  he  must  delight  in  the  diffusion  of  happiness, 
yet,  from  the  holiness  and  rectitude  of  his  character, 
the  principle,  that  sin  should  be  connected  with  suffer- 
ing, must  be  the  olject  of  his  moral  approbation. 

Farther,  men  are  not  only  represented  in  Scripture 
as  the  subjects  of  a  moral  government,  but  as  subjects 
placed  in  a  very  peculiar  and  interesting  state,  a  state 
of  acknowledged  guilt,  yet  of  delayed  punishment,  in 


34  MEDITATION  II. 

order  to  their  prohation  and  trial  for  an  everlasting 
destiny  hereafter.  Their  present  state  is  not  one  of 
"  retribution,  hut  of  respite,"  * — sentence  has  been 
passed  against  tliem  as  guilty,  but  the  effect  of  that 
sentence  has  been  for  a  time  suspended,  in  order  to  the 
application  of  means,  on  the  part  of  God,  for  their  re- 
demption ;  and  being  neither  like  the  angels,  perfectly 
holy  and  happy,  nor  like  devils,  absolutely  lost,  they 
occupy  a  middle  state,  which  may  be  either  the  scene 
of  their  education  for  heaven,  or  of  their  preparation 
for  hell.  To  one  or  other  of  these  departments  of  the 
invisible  world,  all  will  ere  long  be  transferred ;  but, 
mean-while,  they  are  dealt  vdih.  as  creatures  that  have 
incurred  condemnation,  but  who,  through  the  mercy 
of  God,  are  capable  of  rising  to  glory. 

These  two  views,  the  one  of  God's  character,  as  a 
moral  governor  and  judge,  and  the  other  of  mankind, 
as  sinners  in  a  state  of  respite  and  trial,  satisfactorily 
account  both  for  the  sufferings  which  men  endure,  and 
for  the  unequal  distril)ution  of  them.  Were  there  no 
sin,  there  would  be  no  suffering ;  or  were  this  the 
place  of  strict  retribution,  suffering  would  be  awarded 
accordinjj  to  the  amount  of  sfuilt  :  but  it  beinff  a 
middle  state,  enjoyment  and  sorrow  arc  so  intermingled 
as  to  prove,  at  once,  the  benevolrnce  and  the  rectitude 
of  God.  To  the  great  moral  ends  of  this  economy,  the 
discipline  of  affliction  is,  in  many  respects,  needfiil; 
and  hence  tlie  varied  evils  with  which  God  has  seen 
meet  to  visit  us.  Of  these  afflictions,  viewed  as  parts 
*  Dr  Gordon. 


MEDITATION  II.  35 

of  Ills  own  procedure,  and  a  means  of  salutary  discip- 
line, God  must  he  supposed  to  entertain  a  holy  moral 
approbation ;  and  yet,  in  none  of  his  dispensations, 
hoAvever  dark  and  distressing,  does  he  take  pleasure 
in  inflicting  unnecessary  suffering,  or  in  making  his 
creatui'es  unhappy ;  for  it  is  expressly  declared,  that 
"  he  has  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the  sinner,"  and 
that  "  he  does  not  afllict  willingly,  nor  grieve  the  chil- 
dren of  men." 

These  views  throw  an  interesting  light,  both  on  the 
character  of  God,  and  on  the  nature  and  design  of 
affliction  under  his  government.  As  God  is  to  be 
regarded  both  as  an  affectionate  father  and  a  righteous 
judge,  so  affliction  is  presented  in  two  lights  in  Scrip- 
ture, in  each  of  which,  it  is  compatible  with  the  most 
perfect  benevolence  in  the  divine  mind.  It  is  there 
represented  as  being  partly  cori-ective  and  partly joe??a^; 
at  one  time,  the  chastisement  of  an  affectionate  father ; 
at  another,  the  award  of  a  righteous  judge ;  while,  in 
both,  it  .is  declared  to  be  the  result  of  sin.  In  neither 
case  is  it  the  spontaneous  infliction  of  one  who  delights 
in  suffering  for  its  own  sake,  but  the  result  of  principles 
from  which  no  vrise  father  or  judge  will  ever  depart  in 
the  management  of  his  children  or  subjects. 

The  meaning  of  the  declaration,  that  "  God  does  not 
afflict  willingly,  nor  gyieve  the  children  of  men,"  may, 
perhaps,  be  best  illustrated,  if,  conceiving  of  him  as  the 
father  and  governor  of  his  rational  creatures,  we  take, 
as  an  illustration,  the  parallel  case  of  an  affectionate 
father,  or  a  benevolent  judge  among  ourselves. 


36  MEDITATION  II. 

Take  the  case  ofan  eartlily  parent :  suppose  him  to  be 
endowed  with  all  the  tenderest  sensibilities  of  nature, — 
conceive  of  him  as  delighting  in  the  health  and  welfare 
of  his  children,  and,  in  the  exercise  of  every  benevolent 
affection,  lavishing  on  them  all  the  riches  of  a  father's 
kindness  and  a  father's  care.  You  say,  on  looking  at 
his  benignant  countenance  and  his  sniiling  family,  this 
is  an  affectionate  father.  But  a  secret  canker  of  ingra- 
titude seizes  one  or  more  of  his  children, — they  shun 
his  presence,  or  dislike  his  society,  and  at  length  venture 
on  acts  of  positive  disobedience  ;  he  warns  them,  he 
expostulates  with  them,  but  in  vain,  they  revolt  more 
and  more ;  and  at  length,  in  the  exercise  of  deliberate 
thought,  ho  lifts  the  rod  and  chastens  them  ;  and  he 
who  once  was  the  author  of  all  their  happiness,  has 
become  also  their  calm  but  firm  reprover.  xVnd  who 
that  knows  the  tenderness  of  a  father's  heart,  will  not 
acknowledge,  that  severe  as  may  be  the  suffering  in- 
flicted, such  a  man  doth  not  afflict  willingly',  nor  grieve 
the  children  of  his  love  ? 

Ag^ain,  conceive  of  a  man  of  benevolent  feelings 
invested  with  the  office  of  magistrate  or  judge, — con- 
ceive of  Howard,  the  unwearied  friend  of  his  race, 
who  visited  the  prisons  of  Europe  to  alleviate  the 
miseries  of  the  worst  and  most  destitute  of  men, — 
conceive  of  such  a  man  sitting  in  judgment  over  the 
life  or  liberty  of  another;  and  can  you  not  suppose  that, 
while  every  feeling  within  him  inclined  him  to  the  side 
of  mercy,  and  his  every  sensibility  would  be  gratified, 
were  it  possible  to  make  the  felon  virtuous  and  happy, 


MEDITATION  II.  Bf 

he  miglit,  notwitlistandlng,  have  such  a  deep  moral 
persuasion  of  the  importance  of  virtue  and  order  to 
the  wellbeing  of  the  State,  that  he  could  consign  the 
prisoner  to  a  dungeon  or  the  gallows,  and  that,  too, 
vnth  the  perfect  conviction  that  it  was  right  and  good 
to  do  soj  while,  still,  every  sentiment  of  the  heart 
within  him,  if  it  could  be  disclosed,  would  bear  wit- 
ness that  he  afflicted  not  willingly,  and  that  he  had 
no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the  criminal  ? 

Such  a  father  and  such  a  judge  is  God ;  and  the 
sufferings  which  he  inflicts,  whether  they  be  viewed 
as  corrective  or  penal,  are  compatible  with  the  loftiest 
benevolence  in  the  divine  mind.  And,  unquestion- 
ably, the  fact,  that  "  God  doth  not  afflict  willingly, 
nor  grieve  the  children  of  men,"  may,  in  one  light,  be 
regarded  as  a  ground  of  consolaticn^  inasmuch  as  it 
assures  us  that  the  Almighty  Being,  in  whose  hands 
our  destinies  are  placed,  has  no  pleasure  in  the  mere 
infliction  of  suffering, — that,  in  his  holy  mind,  not 
one  passion  exists  which  can  be  gratified  by  it, — and 
that,  even  "  as  a  father  pitleth  his  children,  so  the 
Lord  pitleth  them  that  fear  him." 

We  confine  our  present  meditation  to  the  mere  nega- 
tive view  of  affliction,  that  it  is  not  the  result  of  a  capri- 
cious or  cruel  delight  in  suffering  on  the  part  of  God  ; 
hereafter  we  shall  see  abundant  reason  to  believe  that 
it  is,  under  a  system  of  grace,  the  result  of  pure  and 
comprehensive  benevolence,  and  the  means  of  much 
positive  good.  In  the  meanwhile,  let  us  not  allow 
even  the  darkest  aspects  of  God's  providence  to  shake 

4 


88  jrEDITATION  IT. 

our  faitli  in  the  benevolence  of  lils  character;  and 
when,  through  the  sharp  inflictions  of  his  rod,  we  are 
tempted  to  entertain  hard  thoughts  of  Him,  let  us 
remember  the  precious  truth,  that  "  God  afflicteth  not 
"willingly,  nor  grieveth  the  children  of  men." 
f  But  Avhlle  these  views  are,  in  some  respects,  highly 
consolatory,  inasmuch  as  they  assure  us  of  the  bene- 
volence of  God,  yet,  to  every  reflecting  mind,  another 
question  will  suggest  itself,  to  which,  without  such  a 
revelation  as  is  contained  in  the  Gospel,  no  satisfiic- 
tory  ansAver  can,  in  our  opinion,  be  returned.  The 
benevolence  of  God  being  admitted,  the  question  arises, 
How  far  the  afillctions  which  do  prevail,  notwithstand- 
ing, should  affect  our  hopes  of  future  happiness  under 
His  government  ?  To  those  who  rest  their  hopes  of 
exemption  from,  future  punishment  on  the  mere  general 
benevolence  of  God,  this  should  be  a  very  serious  and 
solemn  inquiry ;  for  God  is,  at  this  moment,  a  Being 
of  infinite  benevolence,  and  yet,  suffering  to  a  great 
extent  prevails  in  his  empire ;  and  the  question  may 
well  be  entertained,  whether,  being  afflicted  now  under 
his  administration,  we  may  not^for  the  same  reasons^ 
be  equally  or  still  more  afflicted  liereafter  ?  And  this 
inquiry  becomes  the  more  serious,  when  we  connect 
affliction  with  the  causes  to  which  it  is  ascribed.  AVhat 
are  these  causes  ?  why,  they  are  the  sins  with  which 
we  are  chargeable  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  holiness 
and  justice  of  God's  character  on  the  other.  But  an 
effect  can  only  be  prevented  by  the  removal  of  its 
cause ;  and  is  it  not  a  very  solemn  reflection,  that  the 


MEDITATION  II.       ,,..  39 

holiness  and  justice  of  God  are  unchangeable  attributes 
of  his  nature;  and  that,  if -we  continue  to  be  chargeable 
with  sin,  they  must,  for  aught  we  know,  perpetuate 
our  sufferings  ?  So  far  from  allaying  our  apprehensions 
from  this  cause,  the  fact  that  God  "  afflicteth  not  wil- 
lingly, nor  grieveth  the  children  of  men,"  gives  a  very 
awful  sanction  to  the  moral  principles  of  his  govern- 
ment, when,  notwithstanding  his  benevolence,  he  does 
visit  his  creatures  with  severe  calamity.  The  benevo- 
lence of  God  being  admitted,  the  whole  course  of  his 
providence  may  be  regarded  as  a  very  solemn  exhibition 
of  the  holiness  and  justice  of  the  divine  government. 
And  unless,  in  these  circumstances,  we  can  discover 
some  way  of  escaping  from  guilt,  or  can  entertain  the 
delusive  hope,  that  God's  holy  and  righteous  govern- 
ment is  to  be  radically  changed,  we  cannot  fail  to  have 
many  dark  thoughts,  and  many  anxious  fears,  respect- 
ing our  future  prospects.  TVe  see  that  God  is  wise, 
and  righteous,  and  benevolent,  and  yet  notwithstand- 
ing, or  rather  for  that  very  reason,  we  feel  that  God  is 
pouring  many  a  bitter  ingredient  into  our  cup, — that  he 
is  visiting  us  with  trials  of  a  very  severe  and  confound- 
ing nature  ;  and  can  we  help  inquiring  whether  it  will 
be  so  for  ever  ?  whether  this  Hfe  is  to  be  the  pattern 
of  our  immortal  existence  ?  or  whether,  in  the  eternity 
which  awaits  us,  we  have  reason  to  expect  either  the 
unmingled  good,  or  the  unmingled  evil  which  are 
combined,  at  present,  in  the  chequered  scene  of  life  ? 
"We  want  some  assurance,  on  this  point,  to  remove  our 
doubts,  and  misgivings,  and  fears;  and,  without  such 


40  MEDITATION  II. 

assurance,  we  feel  that  our  eternal  prospects  are  dark 
and  uncertain  indeed. 

These  misjjivin^^s  are  not  without  a  foundation  in 
reason ;  for  manifold  as  are  the  proofs  which  our  ovfn 
experience  supplies  of  the  benevolent  character  of  God, 
and  explicit  as  is  the  sanction  which  Scripture  gives 
to  the  indications  of  nature,  there  are  many  things, 
notwithstanding,  both  in  nature  and  in  Scripture, 
which  are  fitted  to  aAvaken  alarm  respecting  the  relation 
in  wliieh  we  stand  to  that  august  Being,  and  the  mode 
in  which  he  may  yet  deal  with  us  here  and  hereafter. 
God  may  he  perfectly  wise,  and  just,  and  good  ;  yet, 
conceiving  of  him  as  the  moral  Governor  and  Judge 
of  mankind,  we  cannot  fail  to  understand  tliat  he  must 
put  a  difference  betwixt  the  righteous  and  the  wicked, 
— that  his  administration  may  require  the  sanction  of 
punishment,  and  that  the  very  perfection  of  his  charac- 
ter may  thus  become  the  strongest  reason  for  the  inflic- 
tion of  suffering,  where  his  law  has  been  dishonoured, 
and  his  authority  contemned.  The  infinite  power, 
and  rectitude,  and  wisdom  of  God,  which,  to  innocent 
beings,  must  be  a  source  of  the  highest  and  purest 
delight,  may  thus  become,  to  fallen  creatures,  the 
occasion  of  alarm,  and  suspicion,  and  jealousy  ;  and  a 
secret  distrust  of  their  interest  in  his  favour  will  prey 
upon  their  minds,  even  in  the  midst  of  all  the  riches 
of  his  benevolence  which  nature  displays. 

Accordingly,  may  I  not  ajipeal  to  evcrv  human  being, 
whether  lie  has  not  felt  in  his  own  bosom  many  a  secret 
misgiving  respecting  his  personal  interest  in  the  favour 


MEDITATION  II.  41 

of  his  Judge,  and  many  a  dark  foreboding  in  respect  to 
his  future  prospects,  and  that,  too,  while  he  could  not 
shut  his  eyes  to  the  evidence,  nor  bring  himself  to  deny 
the  reality  of  God's  wisdom,  and  rectitude,  and  love  ? 
The  reason  is,  that  every  man  knows  and  feels  that  he 
is  guilty ;  that  he  has  violated  the  law,  and  forsaken 
the  service  of  God ;  and  that  God,  being  a  righteous 
governor,  may,  notwithstanding  his  benevolence,  be 
disposed  to  punish  transgressors.  Conscience  makes 
this  suggestion,  and  the  course  of  God's  providence 
confirms  it ;  else,  why  so  much  suffering,  if  a  benevo- 
lent God  entertains  no  hatred  against  sin  ?  The  feelings 
of  our  own  minds  must  convince  us,  that  the  present 
course  of  God's  providence  is  utterly  irreconcilable 
with  the  idea,  either  of  his  wisdom  or  benevolence, 
unless,  in  our  o\vn  conduct,  he  finds  a  holy  reason  for 
his  method  of  dealing  with  us  ;  and  no  conscience  can 
be  so  blinded  as  not  to  perceive  much  in  the  state  and 
conduct  of  every  man,  that  nay  warrant  a  Holy  God 
in  inflicting  suffering  and  death. 

The  Bible  does  unquestionably,  in  the  first  instance, 
confirm  the  testimony  of  nature  and  conscience  in 
respect  to  the  present  state  of  trial.  It  acknowledges 
the  existence  of  sorrow  and  suffering,  under  the  govern- 
ment of  a  most  wise  and  benevolent  God ;  it  declares 
that,  notwithstanding  the  moral  faculties  which  God 
hath  given  to  us,  and  the  moral  indications  which  the 
course  of  providence  affords,  good  and  evil  are  not  here 
dealt  out  according  to  the  strict  measure  of  desert ; 
and  the  reason  which  it  assigns  for  the  sufferings  that 

c 


W  MEDITATION  II. 

prevail  in  tlie  world,  is  the  prevalence  of  sin,  while  it 
attributes  tKe  regular  distribution  of  good  and  evil,  to 
the  nature  of  the  present  state,  as  one  of  respite  and 
trial  for  an  eternal  state  after  death.  Had  its  commu- 
nications stopped  at  tliis  point,  it  would  have  conjirmed 
our  worst  fears^  and  deepened  our  most  distressing 
thoughts  ;  for,  when  revealing,  as  it  does,  the  bene- 
volence of  God,  it  declares  notwithstanding,  that  even 
under  his  govommcnt,  sin  must  be  connected  with  suf- 
fering ;  and  when  it  points  to  an  eternal  state,  where 
the  principles  of  his  holy  and  righteous  administration 
shall  have  their  ultimate  issue,  and  be  more  fully  un- 
folded, how  could  we  avoid  the  apprehension  that  we 
are  obnoxious  to  the  displeasure  of  our  Ahniglity  Judge, 
and  in  danger  of  an  eternal  state  of  retribution  from 
his  righteous  hand  ?  So  far  from  allaying  these  appre- 
hensions, in  the  first  instance,  or  declaring  them  to  be 
unreasonable  in  fhemselves,  or  inconsistent  with  our 
just  deserts,  it  is  one  leading  object  of  the  Biblo  to  con- 
firm their  certainty,  to  impress  their  truth  on  the  lieart, 
and  to  assure  us  that  judgments,  infinitely  more  awful 
than  those  which  prevail  in  the  present  world,  await 
the  transgressors  of  the  Divine  law,  in  a  future  state 
of  strict  judicial  retribution.  The  Bible  sanctions  all 
the  judgments  which  conscience  has  ever  pronounced 
against  us  ;  it  delineates  our  characters  in  the  darkest 
shades  of  guilt ;  and  it  affirms  that,  notwithstanding 
the  benevolence  of  God,  sin  cannot  escape  punishment, 
without  inferring  a  violati(m  of  those  eternal  principles 
on  which  the  government  of  the  universe  is  conducted. 


MEDITATION  II.  4B 

and  on  tlie  maintenance  of  whlcli,  the  glory  of  God, 
and  the  happiness  of  his  obedient  creatures  depend. 

Are  any  who  now  meditate  on  this  serious  subject 
along  with  me  ready  to  exclaim,  How,  then,  can  the 
Bible  be  our  comfort  in  affliction — the  Bible,  which 
presents  a  more  humiliating  view  of  our  character,  and 
a  more  distressing  view  of  our  state,  and  a  more  alarm- 
ing view  of  our  everlasting  prospects,  than  what  is  con- 
tained in  any  other  book,  or  what  has  been  suggested 
from  any  other  quarter,  or  what,  fearful  and  despond- 
inrr  as  we  are,  we  have  ever  been  willinnj  to  entertain  ? 
Ah  !  brethren,  you  see  how  true  it  is,  that  the  Bible 
does  not  seek  to  comfort  you  by  denying  the  evils  of 
your  condition,  or  by  withdrawing  your  attention  from 
them,  or  by  soothing  you  with  partial  views  of  their 
extent,  or  delusive  expectations  of  their  removal.  It 
probes  your  case  to  the  very  bottom.  It  unfolds  all 
the  evil  that  is  within,  or  around,  or  before  you.  And 
this  it  does,  not  only  from  a  regard  to  truth,  which, 
however  dark  and  distressing,  cannot  be  compromised 
in  any  communication  from  God  to  his  creatures,  but 
also,  and  especially,  with  a  view  to  shatter  your  con- 
fidence in  every  spring  of  spurious  comfort,  and  every 
false  ground  of  hope,  and  to  lead  you  in  simplicity  to 
a  ground  of  consolation,  which  alone  can  cheer  your 
hearts  amidst  your  present  sorrows,  and  support  your 
spirits  in  the  prospect  of  what  is  yet  before  you  ;  and 
which,  bearing,  as  it  does,  the  impress  of  God's  hand, 
shall  endure,  when  all  other  confidences  are  shattered, 
and  all  other  hopes  destroyed. 


M  MEDITATION  II. 

I  have  adverted  to  the  difficulties  in  which  our 
relation  to  God,  and  our  prospects  under  his  govern- 
ment, are  involved,  because  they  shut  us  all  up  to  the 
doctrine  of  the  cross,  and  because  they  -will  lead  us  to 
the  only  source  of  sound  and  abiding  consolation — the 
love  of  God  in  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  We  shall  find 
that  every  such  difficulty  evanishes,  every  doubt  is 
repressed,  and  every  fear  destroyed,  when  that  love  is 
apprehended  and  believed  ;  but,  meantime,  hesitate 
not,  I  beseech  you,  to  receive  the  testimony  of  God 
respecting  your  state,  and  character,  and  prospects, 
and  turn  not  away  in  disgust,  because,  in  the  light  of 
Scripture,  they  seem  dark  and  appalling.  True,  they 
are  dark  and  appalling  indeed ;  but  is  it  not  your  in- 
terest to  know  the  real  state  of  the  case  ?  Is  it  possible 
that  God  can  err  in  the  estimate  which  he  forms  of 
your  character,  or  deceive  you  as  to  the  fate  Avhich, 
under  his  own  jjovernment,  awaits  unforcrivcn  cfuilt  ? 
From  whom,  if  not  from  God,  can  you  expect  to  have 
such  information  as  shall  render  your  present  and 
future  condition,  and  his  plans  and  intentions  with 
regard  to  you,  intelligible  and  certain  ?  And  although 
you  must  feel  the  statements  of  Scripture  respecting 
your  guilt  and  your  deserts  to  be  humiliating  and 
painful  in  the  extreme,  yet  does  not  your  own  obser 
vation,  so  far  as  it  extends,  concur  with  the  testimony 
of  Scripture,  in  regard  to  the  present  state  ;  and  do  not 
your  own  consciences  nuggost  many  anxious  forebod- 
ings respecting  the  future,  the  same  in  kind  with  those 
which  the  Bible  sanctions  and  certifies  ?  Are  you  not, 


MEDITATION  II.  45 

at  tlie  very  test,  uncertain  of  future  happiness  ?  Are 
you  not,  more  frequently  still,  oppressed  by  the  thought, 
that  the  future  may  be  not  less,  and  perhaps  more,  dis- 
tressing than  the  present  ?  Does  not  conscience  plainly 
intimate,  that,  under  the  government  of  a  righteous 
Being,  you  have  no  reason  to  expect  any  mark  of  his 
favour,  and  much  to  anticipate  his  disapprobation  and 
wrath  ?  And  when  the  Bible  makes  these  convictions 
sure ;  when  it  seals  them  with  the  authority  of  that 
God  who  cannot  err,  and  unfolds  the  \dews  with  which 
he  regards,  and  the  punishment  with  which  he  will 
visit,  impenitent  guilt,  oh !  it  is  surely  your  highest 
wisdom  to  listen  patiently,  and  to  inquire  earnestly, 
whether,  after  all,  there  may  not  be  some  way  of 
escape  from  a  state  which  you  feel  to  be  one  of  dread- 
ful uncertainty,  and  from  a  prospect  which  conscience 
has  surrounded  with  terrors  ? 

There  is  one  such  way  of  escape,  and  only  one. 

The  Scheme  of  Redemption  is  the  grand  peculiarity 
of  the  Bible.  It  is  there  set  forth  as  a  prominent 
feature  in  God's  moral  government, — as  a  plan,  with 
reference  to  which,  this  world  was  at  first  created,  and 
has  since  been  sustained,  and  many  things  permitted 
to  occur  in  it,  which,  under  a  system  of  immediate 
retribution,  could  not  have  been  allowed  to  happen,  or 
to  continue ;  and  it  is  uniformly  represented  as  the 
grand  means  by  which  God's  character  was  to  be  fully 
disclosed,  not  only  to  men,  but  to  all  his  intelligent 
creatures.     This  scheme  will  be  found  to  illustrate  or 


46  MEDITATION  II. 

explain  whateyer  is  dark  or  intricate  in  the  an-ange- 
monts  of  providence.  It  establishes  the  principles  on 
which  his  moral  government  is  founded,  A\hile  it  ex- 
plains the  reasons  Avhy  these  principles  are  not  fully 
developed  in  the  present  state.  And,  above  all,  it 
unfolds  to  man  a  view  of  God's  dispositions  towards 
him,  and  a  prospect  of  his  own  future  destiny,  which 
are  alike  fitted  to  awaken  his  profoundest  admiration, 
and  his  deepest  gratitude,  and  to  silence  every  com- 
plaint, and  solace  every  sorrow  which  the  present 
aspect  of  providence  might  otherwise  awaken. 


MEDITATION  III. 


Ps.  cxix.  50 — "  This  is  my  comfort  in  mine  affliction  :  ** 

"  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gate  his  only  hegoUen  Son, 
that  whosoever  belleveth  in  him  might  not  perish,  but  might 
have  eternal  life."— JoHtf  in.  16. 

We  leam  from  the  chequered  scene  of  human  life,  not 
less  than  from  the  plain  testimony  of  Scripture,  that 
there  are  two  principles  in  the  divine  character ;  the 
one,  the  principle  of  lore,  which  delights  in  the  diffu- 
sion of  happiness,  and  is  averse  from  the  infliction  of 
misery ;  the  other,  the  principle  of  holiness  and  recti- 
tude, which  must  invariably  connect  suffering  with  sin. 
We  see,  in  the  present  state,  the  operation  of  both 
principles,  in  the  blended  enjoyments  and  sorrows  of 
human  hfe ;  and  the  grand  problem  is,  whether,  as  in 
the  present  state,  God's  holiness  and  justice  must  for 
ever  entail  suffering  on  his  disobedient  subjects ;  or, 
whether  his  love  may  not  devise  a  remedy  for  existing 
evils,  so  as  to  render  it  compatible  with  the  moral 
interests  of  his  government  to  exempt  them  from 
punishment,  and  receive  them  into  his  favour  ? 


48  MEDITATION  III. 

"We  cannot  venture  to  state  the  proLlem,  so  as  even 
to  imply  tlie  possibility  of  his  abolishing  suffering 
while  sin  continues,  or  of  his  love  being  exercised  to 
the  effect  of  rendering  his  creatures  happy,  without 
regard  being  had  to  the  interests  of  holiness  and  jus- 
tice. We  dare  not  ask,  whether  God's  love  may  not 
triumph  over  his  rectitude ;  or,  whether  his  benevo- 
lent delight  in  happiness  may  not  be  greater  than  his 
holy  aversion  to  sin  ?  nor,  could  we  entertain  such  a 
question,  would  we  vdsh  to  solve  it  in  the  affirmative, 
for  that  were  to  loose  the  bonds  of  his  government, — 
to  reverse  the  whole  principles  and  methods  of  his 
present  administration, — to  subvert  the  moral  con- 
stitution of  our  o^^Ti  being, — to  array  one  attribute  of 
God's  character  against  another,  and  thus  to  annihilate 
every  ground  of  rational  confidence,  and  to  introduce 
universal  uncertainty  in  respect  to  his  government. 
The  present  state  affords  no  evidence  of  such  opposition 
betwixt  the  benevolence  and  the  holiness  of  the  divine 
character,  and  far  less  of  any  likelihood  that  his  bene- 
volence will  triumph  over  his  holiness.  Both  are  seen 
to  be  in  operation ;  and  the  many  proofs  of  his  bene- 
volence with  which  we  are  surrounded,  so  far  from 
assuring  us  of  future  exemption  from  suffering,  serve 
only  to  augment  our  anxiety  on  the  subject ;  for,  as 
suffering  to  a  great  extent  exists  under  his  government 
now,  notwithstanding  his  benevolence,  the  question 
arises  with  tenfold  interest,  may  not  the  same,  oi  still 
greater  sufferings,  be  awarded  for  the  same  reasons 
hereafter  ? 


MEDITATION  III.  49 

"With  tlie  Bible  in  our  hands,  no  doubt  or  difficulty 
on  this  momentous  subject  remains ;  for,  wbile  it 
confirms  and  illustrates  the  testimony  which  his  own 
providence  bears  to  the  holiness  and  rectitude  of  the 
divine  character,  it  reveals  a  scheme  of  redemption,  in 
which  "truth  meets  "svith  mercy,  and  righteousness 
with  peace,"  and  by  Avhich  God  can  be  "  faithful  and 
just  in  forgiving  sin ;"  the  "  Just  God,"  and  yet  "  the 
Saviour  of  the  guilty;"  "just  even  while  he  justifies 
the  migodly."  In  this  stupendous  scheme,  we  know 
not  whether  most  to  admire  the  awful  holiness,  or 
the  marvellous  love  which  it  displays,  or  the  profound 
wisdom  by  which  both  are  combined,  so  as  mutually  to 
establish  and  illustrate  each  other.  For  what  can  be 
said  either  of  the  holiness,  or  of  the  love  of  God,  by 
men — nay,  by  angels  and  seraphs — who  have  beheld 
them  burning  bright  in  the  upper  sanctuary,  and  adored 
them  uninterruptedly,  in  their  full  measui'e,  in  the  pre- 
sence of  God  himself;  nay,  though  all  parts  of  God's 
universe  should  concert  together,  and  all  intelligent 
spirits  unite  in  gathering  the  proofs  which  nature  fur- 
nishes, and  combining  the  separate  testimonies  of  all 
worlds  to  the  holiness  and  goodness  of  God,  "vvhat 
could  be  said  of  either  that  would  outweigh  or  bear 
comparison  with  the  import  of  that  single  statement, — 
''■God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only  he- 
gotten  Son,  that  whosoever'  helieveth  in  him  might 
not  perish,  hut  might  have  eternal  life  !'* 

God  loved  the  world :  from  the  spontaneous  love  of 
God  the  plan  of  our  salvation  proceeded,  that  being 


50  MEDITATION  HI. 

the  source  of  every  blessing  which  this  salyation  in- 
cludes, and  of  ever)- hope  which  it  warrants  or  inspires. 

Let  us  meditate  on  the  nature  of  this  love.  It  is 
not  the  mere  general  benevolence  which  delights  in  the 
diffusion  of  happiness  among  the  obedient  subjects  of 
the  divine  government,  nor  is  it  the  mere  sentiment  of 
compassion  with  which  a  benevolent  being  may  be 
supposed  to  regard  the  misery  of  his  apostate  creatures, 
and  which  might  lead  him  to  pity  their  case,  even  while 
he  punished  their  guilt.  It  is  not  a  mere  passive  emo- 
tion in  the  divine  mind,  but  an  active  and  operative 
love,  which  prompts  the  purpose,  and  forms  the  plan 
of  relieving  them.  It  is  the  attribute  of  raercy — 
mercy  that  not  only  relieves  the  wretchedness,  but 
pardons  the  guilt  of  its  objects,  and  which  allows  not 
even  the  most  aggravated  sinfulness  to  be  a  bar  to  the 
communication  of  its  blessings.  Of  this  attribute 
heaven  itself  affords  no  exemplification,  for  there  no 
sin  has  ever  been  forgiven;  and  this  world  is  the 
theatre  which  God  has  selected  for  the  manifestation 
of  the  glory  of  his  character,  as  "  the  Lord  God  mer- 
ciful and  gracious,  forgiving  ini(2[uity,  and  transgression 
and  sin.*  ^ 

And  in  what  circumstances  was  this  love  displayed? 
"When  the  world  was  in  a  state  of  rebellion  against 
him, — Avhen  the  human  character  had  been  totally 
changed  from  its  pristine  innocence,  and  had  become 
the  very  reverse  of  his  own, — when,  mstead  of  being 
the  object  of  men's  supreme  reverence  and  affection,  he 
was  the  object  of  their  enmity  and  dread, — .when  the 


MEDITATION  III.  51 

holy  attributes  of  his  nature,  and  the  moral  principles 
of  his  government,  and  the  righteous  precepts  of  his 
law  were  all  alike  distasteful  to  their  depraved  minds, — 
when  his  sole  prerogative,  as  the  Governor  and  Judge 
of  the  world,  had  been  carelessly  forgotten,  or  daringly 
denied, — when  the  subhme  temple  of  nature,  at  whose 
altar  they  should  have  worshipped  the  one  living  and 
true  God,  was  filled  with  the  shrines  of  idolatry,  where 
his  supremacy  was  virtually  denied,  or  divided  amongst 
a  multitude  of  false  gods, — and  when  the  more  sacred 
temple  of  the  human  heart,  where  God  desired  to  dwell, 
and  to  be  ministered  unto  by  a  train  of  holy  affections, 
had  become  a  chamber  of  imagery,  filled  with  a  host  of 
wicked  passions— a  temple,  indeed,  of  spiritual  idolatry, 
■where  the  best  of  all  homage,  that  of  man  s  affections, 
was  rendered,  if  not  to  idols  of  gold  and  silver,  yet  to 
the  wealth,  and  honours,  and  pleasures  of  the  world, — 
when,  in  one  word,  God's  character  was  hated  by  man, 
and  man's  character  odious  to  God, — yet,  even  then, 
"  God  loved  the  w^orld."  Not  surely  because  he 
could  regard  the  character  of  men  with  complacency — 
far  less  because  their  conduct  had  deserved  his  favour, 
for  their  character  was  regarded  by  him  with  utter  ab- 
horrence, and  their  conduct  had  exposed  them  to  his 
righteous  judgment.  But  while  he  hated  and  condemn- 
ed their  sin,  no  malice  mingled  with  that  hatred,  no  re- 
venge dictated  that  condemnation ;  on  the  contrary,  he 
pitied  their  case,  even  while  he  abhoiTcd  their  guilt,  and, 
in  the  exercise  of  a  free,  generous,  and  sovereign  love, 
he  resolved  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost." 


52  MEDITATION  HI. 

And  what  was  the  measure  of  that  love  which  he 
felt,  and  which  the  scheme  of  redemption  unfolds? 
"What  man,  what  angel,  what  seraph,  will  undertake 
to  measure  it,  when  this  one  clause  is  added,  "  God  so 
loved  the  world,  as  to  give  his  only  hegotten  Son!" 
To  comprehend  the  full  import  of  such  words,  we  must 
be  able  to  enter  into  those  feelings  of  ineffable  love 
with  which  the  Father  regards  his  only  begotten  Son, 
—a  Son,  the  same  in  substance,  and  equal  in  power 
and  glory  with  himself,  and  possessing,  along  with  the 
divine  attributes  of  almighty  power  and  omniscient 
wisdom,  a  character  in  all  respects  the  same  as  his 
own — a  character  of  unspotted  holiness,  and  infinite 
benevolence  and  love, — a  Son,  too,  held  in  honour  and 
high  estimation  in  heaven,  where  angels  and  seraphim 
adored  him  as  their  Creator  and  Lord,  and  who,  from 
the  beginning,  was  "  his  delight,  rejoicing  always  be- 
fore him."  Mysterious  and  incomprehensible  as,  to  our 
limited  capacity,  many  parts  of  this  sublime  subject 
may  appear,  we  cannot  fail,  at  least,  to  be  con^4nced, 
that  no  form  of  words  could  possibly  express  a  greater 
amount  of  love  than  the  simple  statement,  that  "  God 
so  loved  the  world,  as  to  give  his  only  begotten  Son." 

This  love  will  be  still  farther  enhanced  in  our  esti- 
mation, if  we  consider  the  benevolent  design  of  God  ia 
giving  his  Son,  and  the  beneficial  results  of  that  gift 
to  his  believing  people.  It  was  that  they  "  who  be- 
lieve might  not  perisli.'*  In  common  with  the  rest  of 
mankind,  they  were  in  danger  of  perishing.  They  had 
already  within  them  the  seeds  of  perdition,  and  the 


MEDITATION  III.  53 

sentence  of  death  stood  recorded  against  them.  They 
were  enemies  to  God  in  their  hearts,  and  their  enmity 
Ts-as  manifested  by  the  frequent  transgression  of  his 
law,  and  a  constant  estrangement  of  affection  from  his 
character  and  service.  And,  as  immortal  creatures, 
destined  to  live  for  ever,  and  about  to  enter,  in  a  very 
short  period,  on  a  state  of  righteous  retribution,  they 
had  no  solid  ground  of  hope  that  their  eternity  would 
be  a  happy  one  ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  had  reason  to 
fear,  that  there  lay  before  them  an  everlasting  state  of 
guilt,  debasement,  and  despair.  It  was  God's  design 
in  sending  his  Son  to  deliver  them  out  of  that  estate 
of  guilt  and  danger,  to  open  up  a  way  of  escape,  and 
to  rescue  them,  by  the  operation  of  his  grace,  from  the 
power  of  those  evil  passions,  which,  had  they  been  per- 
petuated, would  necessarily  have  issuv^d  in  the  miseries 
of  hell.  And  when  we  consider  the  odious  nature  and 
debasing  tendency  of  sin,  and  the  amount  and  duration 
of  that  punishment  which  God  has  denounced  against 
it,  oh  !  how  grateful  should  we  be  for  the  least  intima- 
tion of  God's  willingness  to  save  us  from  it, — and  how 
much  more  grateful,  when  we  are  assured  that  our 
deliverance  from  it  Is  one  of  the  objects  which  God 
has  most  at  heart.  For,  can  we  suppose  that  he  takes 
pleasure  in  the  death  and  destruction  even  of  the  guilty, 
when  we  are  assured  that  "  he  gave  his  only  begotten 
Son,  that  we  might  not  perish." 

The  magnitude  of  the  danger  to  which  we  were  ex- 
posed, and  the  awful  nature  of  the  punishment  which 

awaited  us,  may  well  awaken  our  profoundest  admira- 

5* 


54  MEDITATION  III. 

tion  of  that  lore  which  has  opened  up  a  way  of  escape. 
But  even  this  is  not  all.  God's  love  is  not  exhausted, 
nor  his  henevolcnt  design  completed,  hy  redeeming  his 
people  from  guilt  and  suffering.  It  points  to  a  higher 
end,  even  their  exaltation  to  a  state  of  perfect  blessed- 
ness— that  they  "might  have  eternal  life."  The  Gospel 
of  Christ  not  onl}'  states  the  consoling  fact,  that  "there 
is  forgiveness  with  God,"  and  that  "he  hath  no  pleasure 
in  the  death  of  a  sinner  :"  it  conveys  also  the  cheering 
intelligence  of  an  endless  life  beyond  the  grave — a  state 
not  only  of  conscious  existence,  but  of  perfect  uninter- 
rupted and  endless  felicity — provided  and  secured  by 
the  mediation  of  Christ,  for  every  one  that  bclieveth 
on  his  name.  Their  preparation  for  this  glorious  state 
was  one  of  the  objects  of  the  Saviour's  mission,  and,  by 
his  grace,  a  new  spiritual  life  is  awakened  within  them 
which"  shall  never  die,  but  which  shall  grow  with  their 
2T0wth  and  strenj^then  with  their  strencjth,  until  it  issue 
in  life  eternal.  It  declares  that  our  present  life  is  but 
as  it  were  the  period  of  nonage,  during  which  we  are  to 
prepare  for  entering  on  the  full  privileges  of  children  in 
our  father's  house,  and  on  the  enjoyment  of  that  rich 
inheritance  which  belongs  to  them  in  heaven  ; — that 
death,  so  far  from  annihilating  the  immortal  spirit,  or 
impniring  its  energies,  or  introducing  it  into  a  dark  and 
troubled  scene  of  doubt,  or  despair,  or  punishment,  is, 
in  the  case  of  every  believer,  tlie  l)irtlKlay  of  the  soul, 
when,  beinjr  released  from  the  bodv,  it  is  born  into 
immortality,  and  placed  at  once  in  the  presence  of  God 
and  his  angels.    And  in  order  to  fit  us  for  a  prospect  so 


MEDITATION  III.  55 

lofty  and  boundless,  Christ  has  declared  it  to  be  the 
grand  end  of  his  mission,  to  raise  human  nature  out  of 
the  debasement  into  which  it  has  fallen, — ^to  purify, 
and  elevate,  and  refine  its  noble  faculties, — to  restore 
man  not  only  to  the  friendship,  but  also  to  the  likeness 
of  God,  in  whose  image  he  was  created, — to  cleanse 
him  from  the  pollution  of  a  world  that  lieth  in  wicked- 
ness, and  so  to  present  him  faultless  and  blameless 
before  the  presence  of  God.  This  he  does  by  the 
agency  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  by  means  of  the  truths 
contained  in  his  Word ;  and  in  the  new  spiritual  life 
thus  communicated,  every  believer  has  within  him  the 
germ  of  life  eternal — the  first  dawn  of  that  glorious 
light  in  which  he  is  to  live  and  have  his  being  for  ever 
— the  commencement  of  that  course  of  progressive 
improvement  and  happiness,  which  shall  have  no  in- 
terruption and  no  end,  and  which  death,  so  far  from 
disturbing,  shall  serve  to  advance,  by  placing  him  in 
circumstances  where  the  highest  exercise  of  his  facul- 
ties, and  the  largest  acquisitions  of  knowledge,  shall  be 
ombined  with  enjoyment  of  the  purest  happiness,  and 
:he  noblest  society  in  the  universe. 

Considering  the  capacities  of  man,  may  we  not  ask, 
Vv'ith  becoming  reverence,  what  higher  proof  could 
God  himself  have  furnished  of  his  love  ?  If  It  was  an 
act  of  great  benevolence  on  the  part  of  God,  that  he 
communicated  existence  at  all,  even  for  an  hour  to 
the  Insect,  or  for  a  few  years  to  man  upon  the  earth, 
how  much  more  that  he  made  man  immortal  ?  If  we 
adore  his  benevolence  in  providing  a  liberal  supply  for 


5S  MEDITATION  HI. 

the  physical  ^vants  of  his  creatures,  how  mcch  more 
should  -we  admire  his  goodness,  when  the  wants  of 
our  rational  and  immortal  nature  are  the  ohjccts  of  his 
regard  ?  If  exemption  from  calamity,  so  long  as  we 
live  on  the  earth,  he  a  ground  of  gratitude,  how  much 
more  the  exemption  of  the  soul  from  the  hurden  of 
guilt,  and  the  danger  of  punishment,  its  promised 
deliverance  from  the  whole  host  of  evil  passions,  and 
the  numerous  sufferings  which  follow  in  their  train  ? 
And,  ahove  all,  if  the  prospect  of  health  or  preferment 
in  this  world  should  make  us  thankful,  how  much  more 
that  boundless  prospect  of  eternal  life,  wherein  our 
faculties  shall  he  for  ever  improving,  and  our  happi- 
ness, nay,  our  very  capacities  of  happiness,  increasing 
for  ever  ;  and  what  shall  we  say  more  ?  that  God  was 
so  resolved  on  this,  that,  when  nothing  else  could 
secure  it,  "  he  gave  up  his  only  hegottcn  Son." 

It  may  he  asked,  Why  did  God  give  up  his  only 
hegotten  Son  ?  What  necessity  existed  for  so  costly 
a  sacrifice  ?  Might  not  the  mere  intimation  of  his 
kind  intentions  towards  us,  conveyed  through  one  of 
his  commissioned  servants,  have  served  to  remove  our 
fears,  and  to  establish  for  us  a  ground  of  hope  ?  Had 
God  been  a  being  of  mere  compassion,  and  had  we 
been  regarded  in  no  other  light  than  as  the  objects  of 
his  pity,  this  course  might  perhaps  have  been  adopted, 
altliough  we  should  thus  have  been  deprived  of  the 
noblest  proof  of  the  strength  and  ardour  of  that  affec- 
tion which  burned  in  the  divine  mind  towards  us.  But, 
besides  being  a  God  of  mercy,  he  is  also  the  moral 


MEDITATION  in.  57 

gorernor  and  judge  of  men ;  and,  besides  being  the 
objects  of  his  pity,  we  were  the  responsible  subjects  of 
his  government,  and  amenable  to  punishment  for  our 
crimes.  As  his  moral  government  was  to  continue 
for  ever,  and  as,  wherever  it  extends  throughout  the 
universe,  it  is  based  on  the  principles  of  rectitude  and 
retribution,  it  was  necessary  to  guard  against  any  dis- 
honour being  put  on  that  law,  which  is  a  transcript  of 
his  own  holy  character,  and  the  rule  of  his  universal 
and  eternal  jurisprudence.  Hence  God  would  not 
cancel  its  threatenings,  nor  relax  its  authority,  nor 
mitigate  its  requirements  even  when  he  had  formed 
the  jmiyose  of  saving  the  sinful;  but,  on  the  contrary, 
made  the  manifestation  of  his  forgiving  mercy  the 
occasion  of  a  brighter  display  of  the  holiness  and 
justice  both  of  his  character  and  law.  For  this  pur- 
pose, he  entered  into  a  covenant  with  his  only  begotten 
Son — choosing  him  as  the  substitute  of  the  guilty, 
whom  he  designed  to  save;  laying  upon  him  the 
responsibility  of  their  guilt,  and  exacting  from  him 
the  penalty  which  they  had  incurred,  and  engaging, 
in  return,  to  impute  to  them  the  merit  of  his  sufferings 
and  obedience,  and  to  deal  vAth  them  according  to  his 
deserts.  And  this  was  done,  that  while  his  forgiA-ing 
mercy  was  manifested  in  giving  up  his  Son,  and,  for 
his  sake,  receiving  his  people  into  favour,  his  equity 
might  be  displayed,  and  his  law  magnified  and  made 
honourable,  by  the  vicarious  sufferings  and  death  of 
their  surety.  As  no  proof  of  his  love  could  be  greater 
than  the  act  of  giving  up  his  Son,  so  surely,  no  proof  of 


58  MEDITATION  IM. 

his  holiness  and  justice  could  be  stronger  than  "what 
arises  from  his  not  sparing  that  Son  when  he  stood  in 
the  room  of  the  guilty.  What  greater  honour  could, 
in  the  nature  of  things,  he  paid  to  the  law,  than  -what 
was  implied  in  the  voluntary  submission  of  God's 
own  Son  to  its  demands  ?  "What  a  spectacle  to  men 
and  angels  !  the  Son  of  God  submitting  to  that  law 
in  his  own  person,  acknowledging  the  justice  of  its 
threatcnings  by  enduring  them,  and  the  equity  of  its 
precepts  by  obeying  them,  and  declaring  his  holy 
determination  to  uphold  its  authority,  and  to  establish 
it  for  ever,  even  at  the  very  time  when  his  love 
prompted  him  to  deliver  his  people  from  its  condem- 
ning power  !  It  was  in  this  sense  that  God  gave  up 
his  Son — he  "  gave  him  to  be  a  propitiation  for  our 
sins."  It  was  to  manifest  ''^ grace  reigning  through 
righteousness  unto  eternal  life,"  that  Christ  consented 
to  become  man ;  and  it  was  "  that  God  might  be  Just, 
while  He  justijied  the  ungodly,"  that  Christ  was 
**  wounded  for  our  transgressions  and  bruised  for  our 
iniquities,"  and  that  "  lie  who  knew  no  sin  was  made 
sin  for  us,  that  we  might  be  made  the  righteousness  of 
God  in  him." 

This  glorious  scheme,  therefore,  while  it  is  pervaded 
by  the  golden  principle  of  divine  love,  is  yet  founded 
on  the  principles  of  cternul  justice.  In  it  "  truth  met 
with  mercy,  and  righteousness  with  peace,"  and  the 
full  satisfaction  which  it  provides  for  the  claims  of 
divine  justice,  may  well  serve  to  silence  every  doubt 
or  misgiving  which,  notwithstanding  the  benevolence 


MEDITATION  in.  S$ 

of  God,  miglit  be  awakened  In  our  minds,  by  a  con- 
sideration of  tlie  holiness  and  justice  of  the  divine 
administration. 

Thus,  both  under  the  economy  of  providence,  and 
under  that  of  grace,  the  holiness  and  the  love  of  God, 
so  far  from  being  inconsistent  with,  or  opposed  to  one 
another,  are,  by  an  admirable  arrangement  of  divine 
wisdom,  made  mutually  to  Illustrate  and  enhance  each 
other.  Under  the  scheme  of  providence,  there  are 
many  enjoyments  which  bespeak  the  love  of  God,  and 
many  sorrows  which  bespeak  his  justice ;  and  every 
reflecting  mind  must  feel,  in  looking  on  the  chequered 
scene  of  life,  that  the  greater  God's  love  Is,  the  more 
avv'ful  also  Is  his  justice ;  and  the  more  awful  his 
justice,  the  more  wonderful  his  love, — since,  notwith- 
standing the  one,  suffering  prevails,  and,  notwith- 
standing the  other,  many  blessings  are  bestowed.  In 
like  manner,  in  the  cross,  God's  love  appears  in  the 
gift  of  his  only  begotten  Son ;  but  his  justice  also  in 
the  awful  death  which  the  Saviour  endured.  And 
we  feel  that  if  God  had  not  been  gracious,  we  should 
have  less  revered  the  justice  which  demanded,  and 
that,  had  he  not  been  just,  we  should  less  have 
esteemed  the  love  which  prompted  the  sacrifice  of 
his  only  Son. 

The  consolation  which  may  be  drawn^rom  the  cross 
is  the  only  thorough  remedy  for  sorrow,  the  only  abid- 
ing antidote  against  despair.  That  consolation  arises, 
partly,  from  the  manifestation  which  is  there  made 
of  God's  disposition  and  character,  as  the  Lord  God 


60  MEDITATION  III. 

merciful  and  gracious ;  and  from  ■wliicli  we  may  draw 
the  precious  assurance,  that  "  if  God  spared  not  his 
own  Son,  hut  freely  gave  him  up  to  the  death  for  us 
all,  much  more  will  he,  with  him  also,  freely  give  us 
all  things."     It  arises  partly,  also,  from  the  assurance, 
that  One  has  undertaken  our  cause,  who  is  hoth  ahle 
and  willing  to  help  us,  and  with  M'hom  the  Father  is 
ever  well-pleased ;  and,  finally,  from  the  fulness  and 
completeness  of  that  redemption  which  he  has  wrought 
out.     This  scheme  of  redemption  is  complete  in  all 
its  parts,  and  adecjuate  to  the  supply  of  ail  oui-  wants. 
Being  framed  by  the  unerring  wisdom  of  God,  and 
sealed  with  the  precious  blood  of  his  Son,  and  admi- 
nistered by  the  agency  of  his  Holy  Spirit,  its  efficiency 
is  guaranteed  by  every  attribute  of  the  divine  nature  ; 
and  while  it  throws  an  interesting  light  on  the  present 
scene,  it  is  a  system  which  stretches  for\>*ard  into  eter- 
nity, and  presents  a  remedy,  not  only  for  every  present 
sorrow  but  also  for  every  future  fear.     What  sin  is 
there  which  this  redemption  will  not  expiate  ?  what 
sorrow  which  this  redemption  cannot  soothe  ?  what 
want  which  this  redemption  cannot  supply  ?  what  fear 
which  it  may  not  dispel  ?  what  holy  hope  which  it 
does  not  sanction  ?  what  attribute  of  God  which  it  does 
not  illustrate  ?  what  human  exigency  for  which  it  does 
not  provide  ?     It  is  consolatory,  too,  to  know,  that 
while  this  redemption  is  infinitely  full,  it  is  also freeli/ 
offered  to  all ;  and  this  is  intimated  in  these  wordsj 
"which  contain  the  very  sum  and  substance  of  the 
Gospel, — ."  Whosoever  beheveth   in  him   shall  not 


MEDITATIOX  HI.  61 

perisli/*  "Whosoever  :  where,  then,  is  the  sinner  that 
is  excluded  from  this  salvation  ?  where  the  man  who 
is  not  warranted  to  repose  his  confidence  in  the 
Saviour  ?  "  Whosoever,"  be  he  rich  or  poor,  young 
or  old,  prosperous  or  afflicted,  learned  or  unlearned, 
yea,  comparatively  righteous  or  desperately  wicked, 
still  that  word  is  enough  for  him  :  it  holds  out  a 
warrant  and  an  encouragement  to  the  most  abandoned 
and  forlorn;  and  this  warrant  is  confirmed  by  the 
assurance,  that  "  He  came  to  call  not  the  righteous, 
but  sinners  to  repentance,"  and  that  whosoever 
*'  Cometh  unto  him,  ^vill  in  no  wise  be  cast  out." 

Glorious  scheme !  well  may  the  angels  desire  to 
look  into  it,  and  well  may  they  hence  derive  an  in- 
crease to  their  knowledge  of  the  manifold  wisdom  of 
God ;  and  far  more  should  ive  make  it  the  theme  of 
our  profoundest  meditation,  and  seek  to  comprehend 
and  embrace  it  in  all  its  fulness,  since  it  is  God's  own 
plan  for  abol'shing  sin  and  its  consequent  e^dls ;  a 
plan  which,  whether  we  view  it  in  reference  to  the 
character  of  God  which  it  unfolds,  or  in  reference  to 
the  benefits  which  it  confers  on  all  who  embrace  it, 
will  ever  seem  the  more  beneficent  and  wise,  in 
proportion  as  our  knowledge  and  experience  of  its 
provisions  and  practical  efi*ects  are  enlarged;  and 
which,  to  men,  and  angels,  and  seraphim,  will  be  the 
theme  of  exhaustless  meditation  and  praise,  in  that 
blessed  world  where  its  glorious  issues  will  be  unfolded, 
and  its  benefits  fully  enjoyed. 


MEDITATION  IV. 

Ps.  cxix.  50. — "  This  is  my  comfort  in  my  ArFLicxioN :  ** 

'•  Ilim  that  cometh  to  me  I  vcill  in  no  tciee  cast  out.^^ — 

John  vi.  37. 

"When  a  thoughtful  mind,  espcclhlly  iu  the  season  of 
affliction,  or  in  the  prospect  of  death,  considers  its 
relation  to  God  and  its  eternal  prospects,  it  can  hardly 
fail  to  be  impressed  Avith  the  transcendent  importance 
of  that  question, — "  What  must  I  do  to  he  saved  F"  If 
the  inquirer  betake  himself  to  the  Bible,  Avith  the  view 
of  obtaining  satisfactory  information  on  this  momen- 
tous subject,  he  finds  God's  own  answer  to  that  ques- 
tion, in  these  memorable  words, — "  Believe  on  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  thou  shalt  he  saved."  These 
words  are  few  and  simple,  but  they  contain  the  sum 
and  substance  of  the  Gospel  message ;  they  teach 
him  to  believe  the  record  which  God  hath  given  re- 
specting his  Son,  and,  believing  that  record,  to  place 
his  personal  trust  and  dependence  on  Christ,  as  aa 


MEDITATION  IT.  63 

all-sufficient  Saviour,  able  to  save  unto  the  tttteronosi 
all  that  come  unto  God  by  him. 

But  -VThen  this  plain  and  simple  answer  is  given  to 
bis  question,  the  anxious  inquirer  is  apt  to  be  stag- 
gered and  perplexed  by  its  very  simplicity ;  he  is  not 
prepared  to  find  that  every  bar  has  been  taken  out  of 
the  way,  and  that  he  is  at  liberty  to  repair  to  Christ 
at  once  as  his  Saviour ;  he  is  surprised,  and  begins  to 
doubt  whether  he  has  understood  the  message  in  the 
sense  in  which  God  would  have  him  to  understand 
it ;  he  ponders  on  other  passages  of  Scripture  which 
declare  God's  wrath  and  curse  on  account  of  sin,  or 
which  require  holiness  of  heart  and  life,  or  which 
speak  of  the  difficulty  of  being  saved ;  and,  without 
adverting  to  the  fact  that  these  passages  refer  to  diffi- 
culties which  arise  out  of  his  own  fallen  and  depraved 
nature,  and  which  God's  grace  alone  can  remove,  he 
is  apt  to  think  that  something  must  be  done  by  him, 
before  he  is  warranted  to  embrace  the  offer  of  the 
Gospel,  or  to  trust  in  Christ  as  his  Saviour.  Hence, 
encouraged,  on  the  one  hand,  by  the  possibility  of  his 
being  saved,  and  distracted,  on  the  other,  by  the 
supposed  necessity  of  fulfilling  certain  conditions  before 
he  is  warranted  to  take  God's  invitation  to  himself, 
he  derives  little  or  no  immediate  comfort  from  the 
simple  message  of  the  Gospel,  and  remains  for  a  time 
at  a  distance  from  Christ,  or  only  fearfully  looking  to 
him  as  one  that  may  ultimately  be  his  Saviour.  To  an 
inquirer  in  these  circumstances,  nothing  can  be  more 
useful  than   to  set  before  him  a  clear  view  of  the 


04  MEDITATION  IV. 

warrant  offaith^  or  of  the  ground  on  whicK  be  is 
encouraged  at  once,  and  ^vithout  any  delay,  to  believe 
on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  to  come  to  him  for 
pardon  and  peace. 

I.  The  first  ground  on  which  the  most  disconsolate 
inquirer  may  be  encouraged  to  return  to  God,  through 
Christ,  without  delay,  is  the  character  of  God,  as  it  is 
revealed  in  his  "Word.  That  character  is  set  forth  in 
Scripture  in  a  variety  of  aspects,  which  are  all  fitted 
to  conciliate  the  love,  and  to  secure  the  confidence  of 
sinners.  Let  every  serious  inquirer  consider  the  tes- 
timony of  God  in  this  matter  : — "  The  Lord  descended 
in  the  cloud,  and  stood  with  Moses  there,  and  pro- 
claimed the  name  of  the  Lord.  And  the  Lord  passed 
by  before  him,  and  proclaimed.  The  Lord,  the  Lord  God 
mercifid  and  gracious,  long-suffering,  and  abundant 
in  goodness  and  truth,  keeping  mcrc^for  thousands" 
— it  follows,  indeed,  "  that  he  will  by  no  means  clear 
the  guilty  ;  visiting  the  iniquity  of  the  fathers  upon  the 
children,  and  upon  the  children's  children,  unto  the 
third  and  fourth  generation."  How  far  the  last  words 
of  this  sublime  passage  should  affect  the  faith  and  hope 
of  a  sinner  under  the  Christian  dispensation,  will  be 
considered  hereafter;  meanwhile,  let  usgivedue  weight 
to  the  former  part  of  tlu;  j)assage,  in  which  God's  love 
and  mercy  are  declared  with  a  fulness  and  variety  of 
expression  which  leave  no  room  for  unbelieving  doubt 
or  suspicion.  His  very  name  is  "  the  Lord  God  mer- 
ciful and  gracious  ;"  he  is  declared  to  be  ^'"abundant 


MEDITATION  IV.  65 

in  goodness;"  he  is  said  to  be  ^^  keeping  mercy  for 
thousands"  Nor  is  this  a  solitary  passage,  different 
from  the  general  tenor  of  God's  Word  :  his  character 
is  delineated  in  the  same  way  in  so  many  places,  that 
our  chief  difficulty  consists  in  making  a  selection  of  the 
most  striking  and  impressive  proofs,  i  We  have  taken 
one  passage  from  the  Law ;  let  us  look  now  to  the 
Psalms  : — "  Thou,  Lord,  art  good^  and  ready  to  for- 
give^ and  plenteous  in  mercy  unto  all  them  that  call 
upon  thee."  "  Thou,  0  Lord,  art  a  Godi  full  of  com- 
passion, and  gracious;  long-suffering,  ^ltv^  plenteous  in 
mercy  and  truth."  "  Thy  mercy  is  great  unto  the 
heavens."  "  The  Lord  is  good ;  his  mercy  is  ever- 
lasting." "  Great  are  thy  tender  mercies,  0  Lord." 
"  Thy  mercy,  O  Lord,  endure th  for  ever,"  Passing 
from  the  Law  and  the  Psalms,  let  us  look  now  to  the 
Prophets  : — "  Who  is  a  God  like  unto  thee,  that  par- 
doneth  iniquity,  and  passeth  hy  the  transgression  of  the 
remnant  of  his  heritage  ;  he  retaineth  not  his  anger  for 
ever,  because  he  delighteth  in  mercy.**  "  Thou  art  a 
God,  ready  to  pardon,  gracious  and  merciful^  slow  to 
anger,  and  of  great  kindness."  "  Though  he  cause 
grief,  yet  will  he  have  compassion  according  to  the 
multitude  of  his  mercies"  "  As  I  live,  saith  the 
Lord,  I  have  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the  wicked." 
If  we  look  to  the  Evangelists,  we  see  there  recorded 
the  words  of  Christ  himself: — "  God  sent  not  his  Son 
into  the  world  to  condemn  the  world,  but  that  the 
world  through  him  might  be  saved."     "  And  this  is 

the  will  of  him  that  sent  me,  that  every  one  which 

6* 


66  MEDITATION  IV. 

seeth  the  Son  and  believetli  on  him,  may  have  ever- 
lasting life."    And,  finally,  let  us  hear  the  testimony  of 
the  Apostles  : — "  God  is  love"  says  John ;   "  God  is 
rich  in  mercy  ^  says  Paul;   "the  Lord  is  very  pitiful 
and  of  tender  mercy"  says  James ;    "  the  Lord  is 
long-suffering  to  us- ward,"  says  Peter,  "not  willing  that 
any  should  perish^  hut  that  all  should  come  to  repent- 
ance."    Thus  the  unanimous  testimony  of  the  Law, 
the  Psalms,  the  Prophets  of  the  Old  Testament,  the 
Evangelists,  and  the  Apostles  of  the  New,  hears  wit- 
ness to  God's  character,  as  a  Being  of  manifold  mercies, 
"whose  very  name  is  love  ;  and  a  clear  apprehension 
and  cordial  belief  of  this  great  truth,  would  do  much  to 
remove  all  the  scruples  and  fears  which  prevent  many 
an  anxious  incuirer  from  coming  to  him  for  life  and 
salvation.    In  general  terms,  we  all  admit,  indeed,  the 
merciful  character  of  God  ;  hut  surely,  if  it  impart  no 
comfort,  and  inspire  no  confidence,  and  awaken  no 
gratitude,  it  must  either  he  very  imperfectly  appre- 
hended, or  little,  if  at  all,  believed.    The  proper  effect 
of  such  a  character,  when  seen  in  all  its  glorious  excel- 
lency, is  to  banish  distrust  and  suspicion,  and  to  awaken 
admirine:  love,  and  childlike  confidence.    The  kindness 
or  benignity  of  an  earthly  friend  produces  these  feel- 
ings, and  his  very  character  is  regarded  as  a  sufficient 
"warrant  for  our  going  to  him  in  a  time  of  straits,  and 
frankly  laying  before  him  our  difficulties  and  wants,  in 
the  assurance,  that  his  kindness  will  prompt  him  to 
listen  to  our  request,  and  to  take  an  interest  in  our 
case.     Why  is  it  otherwise  with  us  when  God  is  con- 


MEDITATION  IV.  07 

ceraed,  unless  it  he  that  we  either  do  not  sufficiently 
understand  the  benignity  of  his  nature,  or  are  suspicious 
of  the  sincerity  of  his  kindness  ?  Did  ^\e  really  believe 
God  to  be  so  very  gracious  and  merciful  a  Being  as 
his  Word  declares  him  to  be;  did  we  realize  his  infinite 
love,  and  were  we  assured  that  his  love  is  perfecfly  sin- 
cere, oh  !  how  would  this  banish  the  hard  thoughts  of 
him  which  we  are  too  prone  to  cherish,  and  destroy 
those  scruples,  and  misgivings,  and  fears,  of  which  we 
are  sensible  when  we  think  of  repairing  to  him  for 
mercy.  The  evil  is,  that  even  when  the  grace  and 
mercy  of  God  are  not  formally  called  in  question,  there 
often  remains  in  the  heart  an  undefined  and  vague  sus- 
picion of  his  sincerity,  or  an  idea  that  his  love  is  waver- 
ing and  uncertain,  if  not  capricious,  in  its  exercise;  and 
hence,  all  the  cheering  influence  which  the  light  of  his 
love  might  exert  upon  us,  is  destroyed  by  the  inter- 
vention of  our  own  dark  unbelief,  just  as  the  rays  of 
the  sun  are  intercepted,  and  their  influence  diminished, 
by  the  dense  vapours  and  thick  clouds  of  the  sky. 

Grace  and  mercy,  indeed,  are  not  the  sole  attributes 
of  God ;  and  the  sinner  who  would  fondly  cling  to 
these,  may  be  repelled  by  the  reflection  that,  merciful 
as  God^is,  he  is  also  holy  and  just ;  that  he  is  declared, 
both  by  the  voice  of  conscience,  and  by  his  own  re- 
vealed Word,  to  be  the  avenger  of  sin,  and  that,  as 
such,  he  cannot  be  regarded  by  any  sinner  without 
alarm  and  terror.  All  this  is  true ;  and  were  it  over- 
looked or  forgotten,  we  should  entertain  a  very  partial 
and  delusive  idea  of  the  divine  character.    It  is  equally 


68  MEDITATION  IV.  ' 

true  that  unassistecl  reason  can  fllscover  no  mctliod  of 
reconciling  tho  exercise  of  mercj  witli  the  claims  of 
justice,  and  no  ground  of  confidence  in  God,  such  as 
would  warrant  the  hope  of  safety  for  a  sinner.  But 
in  God's  revealed  character^  justice  and  mercy  meet 
together,  righteousness  and  peace  kiss  each  other  ;  we 
are  under  no  necessity  of  forgetting  any  attribute  of  his 
nature,  or  of  adopting  a  partial  view  of  his  character, 
for  the  sake  of  deriving  peace  and  comfort  from  it ; 
we  can  regard  it  in  all  its  holiness,  and  yet  feel  that 
we  are  safe.     For, 

IT.  God's  flcdarcd  satisfaction  icith  the  redemption 
of  Christy  affords  a  warrant  and  encouragement  to  the 
sinner,  such  as  should  hanish  all  the  fears  which  even 
a  correct  and  scriptural  sense  of  God's  holmcss  and 
justice  may  have  awakened  in  his  mind,  That  he 
should  have  a  deep  and  abiding  sense  of  God's  holiness 
and  justice,  is  no  more  than  Scripture  requires,  and  the 
state  of  the  case  demands.  That  a  sense  of  God's 
justice,  combined  with  a  smso  of  his  own  guilt,  should 
awaken  fear  and  terror,  is  o(pi:dly  plain ;  but  he  will 
thereby  be  only  tho  better  rpialificd  for  coming  to  God 
as  he  is  revealed  in  the  Gospel.  Uiuler  this  impres- 
sion, let  us  turn  again  to  Xlu-^  first  passage  formerly 
quoted,  a  passage  in  which  the  whole  character  of  God 
is  revealed,  first,  as  infinitely  merciful,  and  secondly, 
as  strictly  holy  and  just.  On  reading  tliat  passa<^e,  the 
sinner  may  be  disposed  to  say,  oh  !  how  sweet  and  en- 
couraging is  the  first  part  of  it,  "  the  Lord  God  mcrci- 


MEDITATION  IV.  69 

ful  anrl  gracious,  long-suffering,  and  abundant  in  good- 
ness and  truth,  keeping  mercy  for  thousands," — this  is 
sweet,  it  is  as  cool  water  to  the  parched  ground ; — 
•would  that  it  had  ended  here  !  but  when  I  proceed  I 
find  it  written,  *'  that  he  will  by  no  means  clear  the 
guilty ;  visiting  the  iniquity  of  the  fathers  upon  the  chil- 
dren, and  upon  the  children's  children,  unto  the  third 
and  fourth  generations," — this  damps  my  rising  hopes, 
it  sinks  my  very  spirit  within  me  ;  for  am  /not  guilty? 
and  if  he  will  by  no  means  clear  the  guilty,  what  avails 
it  me  that  he  is  merciful  and  gracious  ?    I  am  irre- 
coverably ruined  and  undone.     My  guilt  and  God's 
justice  are,  after  all,  as  certain  as  his  loving-kindness ; 
and  how,  then,  can  I  draw  near  to  God  ?     All  this  is 
true.     It  is  equally  true,  that  while,  in  one  passage, 
we  read  that  "  God  is  love,"  we  read  in  another,  that 
"  our  God  is  a  consuming  fire/'     How,  then,  may  a 
sinner  extricate  himself  from  this  perplexity, — how 
may  he  obtain  relief,  when  he  cannot  den}'  his  own 
guilt,  and  dares  not  dispute  God's  justice?     Is  there 
one  sinner  who  feels,  that  were  his  guilt  out  of  the 
way,  he  would  willingly  go  to  God,  as  the  Lord  God 
merciful  and  gracious,  and  who  is  debarred  only  by  a 
sense  of  divine  justice  ?     Let  him  look  to  the  cross  of 
Christy  and  he  will  see  the  barrier  removed;  there 
God's  character  is  displayed  in  all  its  attributes,  and 
these  attributes  are  seen  to  be  perfectly  harmonious. 
"Truth  meets  Avith  mercy,  and  righteousness  with 
peace,"  and  the  Lord  is  beheld  as  at  once  the  "  Just 
Jod,"  and  yet  "  the  Saviour."     In  the  cross,  the  love 


70  MEDITATIOX  IT. 

and  mercy  of  God  appear  in  the  gift  of  his  o^vn  Son ; 
and  his  justice  is  at  once  displayed  and  satisfied  hy 
the  atonement  which  Avas  there  required  and  rendered. 
By  the  substitution  of  Clirist  as  our  Redeemer,  in  our 
room,  and  by  the  infliction  of  tliat  punishment  on 
him  "svhich  our  sins  had  deserved,  the  law  was  mag- 
nified and  made  honourable, — and  the  reason  for 
punisliment  having  been  removed,  God's  justice  is 
satisfied  ;  and  now,  "  God  is  in  Christ  reconciling 
the  world  unto  himself,  and  not  imputing  unto  them 
their  trespasses."  He  has  declared  his  satisfiictlon 
with  the  work  of  the  Redeemer ;  and  now,  on  the 
ground  of  that  great  propitiation,  he  gives  to  every 
sinner  the  liberty  of  free  access  to  his  throne, — his  jus- 
tice no  longer  stands  in  the  way ;  and,  lest  the  pecu- 
liar heinousness  of  any  man's  sins  should  discourage 
liim,  he  has  given  forth  that  gracious  declaration, — 
"  the  blood  of  Jesus  cleanseth  from  all  sin." 

Behold  how  the  sinner's  perplexity  is  removed  ; 
he  sees  in  the  cross  that  God  can  be  at  once  the  Just 
God  and  yet  the  Saviour,  faithful  and  just  even  in 
forgiving  his  sins,  and  cleansing  him  from  all  ini(|uity. 
There  he  discovers  how  both  parts  of  that  sublime 
passage  may  be  reconciled ;  and  how  true  it  is  that 
■\vhile,  without  satisfaction,  he  would  by  no  means 
clear  the  guilty,  yi't,  being  satisfied,  he  is  the  Lord, 
Juvgic'uig  iniquitjj,  and  ti'ansgrt'ssion  and  sin.  Oh  ! 
what  relief  nmst  the  clear  apprehension  of  this  one 
truth  impart  to  the  convint-ed  sinnei  :  what  a  heavy 
burden  must  it  lift  from  oflf  his  spirit !  he  needs  not 


MEDITATION  IV.  71 

deny  tis  guilt,  or  dispute  God's  justice, — no;  lie  sees 
and  ackncwledges  both ;  but  neltlier  is  now  a  bar  in 
tlie  way  of  his  access  to  God,  for  God  in  Christ,  the 
Judge  on  the  mercy-seat,  the  Lawgiver  on  the  throne 
of  grace,  declares  that,  by  the  Redeemer's  expiation, 
he  is  satisfied,  and  that  now  "  there  is  forgiveness 
with  him  and  pleiiteous  redemjjtion*'  Neither  God's 
justice,  nor  the  sinner's  guilt,  nor  the  demands  of  a 
broken  law,  nor  the  voice  of  an  accusing  conscience, 
nor  the  sacred  majesty  of  God's  government,  should 
now  discourage  him.  God  is  satisfied  with  Christ's 
redemption,  and  that  is  enough  for  us.  He  has  de- 
clared his  satisfaction,  and  why  should  we  be  doubtful 
or  downcast  ?  let  us  rather  sing  with  the  prophet,  "  O 
Lord,  I  will  praise  thee ;  for  though  thou  Avast  angry 
with  me,  yet  thine  anger  is  turned  away,  and  thou 
comfortedst  me.  Behold,  God  is  my  salvation,  I  will 
trust,  and  not  be  afraid :  for  the  Lord  Jehovah  is  my 
strength  and  my  song;  he  also  is  become  my  salvation." 

III.  Remembering,  then,  God's  gracious  and  mer- 
ciful character,  and  his  declared  satisfaction  with 
Cbrist's  redemption  as  the  ground  of  pardon,  let  us 
consider  the  language  in  which  he  now  speaks  to  sin- 
ners from  the  mercy-seat,  and  we  shall  find  in  his  in- 
vitations a  full  Avarrant  for  confidence  and  trust.  Both 
God  and  Christ  invite  sinners  to  draw  nigh  in  such, 
terms  as  leave  no  room  and  no  apology  for  refusing. 
These  invitations  are  frequently  repeated,  and  given 
in  every  variety  of  form,  the  best  fitted  to  remove  our 


72  MEDITATION  IV. 

douLts,  and  secure  our  confidence.  Tliey  are  ad- 
dressed to  sinners  as  such,  and  to  all  sinners,  -svithout 
exception,  to  Avhoni  the  Gospel  is  sent,  insomuch  that 
it  may  -well  he  said,  that  if  there  he  a  man  on  earth 
"who  is  not  a  sinner,  to  him  only  are  they  not  appli- 
cahle ;  hut  to  every  man  that  is  a  sinner,  and  just 
because  he  is  a  sinner,  they  are  addressed.  Let  us 
listen,  then,  to  the  gracious  terms  in  ^vhich  God  speaks 
to  sinners  from  the  mercy-seat,  and  let  us  listen  to 
them  as  if  God  spoke  to  us  alone.  "  Ho  !  every  one 
that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the  "waters,  and  he  that  hath 
no  money :  come  ye,  huy  and  eat ;  yea,  come,  huy 
wine  and  milk  without  money,  and  "svithout  price." 
**  Incline  your  ear,  and  come  unto  me  ;  hear,  and  your 
soul  shall  live :  and  I  will  make  an  everlastinjr 
covenant  with  you,  even  the  sure  mercies  of  David." 
*'  Seek  ye  the  Lord  Avhilc  he  may  he  found,  call  ye 
upon  him  -while  he  is  near :  let  the  -wicked  forsake  his 
way,  and  the  unrighteous  man  his  thoughts ;  and  let 
him  return  unto  the  Lord,  and  he  will  have  mercy 
upon  him;  and  to  our  God,  for  he  will  ahundantlij 
pardon."  "  Therefore,  0  thou  son  of  man,  speak  unto 
the  house  of  Israel,  Thus  ye  speak,  saying,  If  our 
transgressions  and  our  sins  he  upon  us,  and  we  pine 
away  in  them,  how  should  we  then  live  ?  Say  unto 
them,  As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord  God,  I  have  no  plea- 
sure in  the  death  of  the  wicked ;  hut  that  the  wicked 
turn  from  his  way  and  live :  turn  ye,  turn  ye  from 
your  evil  ways;  for  why  will  ye  die,  0  house  of 
Israel  ? "     "  Come  unto  me,"  says  Christ  himself,  "  all 


MEDITATION  IV.  73 

ye  tliat  labour  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  Tvlll  give 
you  rest."  "  In  tlie  last  day,  that  great  day  of  the 
feast,  Jesus  stood  and  cried,  saying,  If  any  man  thirst, 
let  him  come  unto  me  and  drink."  "  And  the  Spirit 
(the  Holy  Ghost)  and  the  bride  (the  Church  uniyersal) 
say.  Come.  And  let  him  that  heareth  say.  Come.  And 
let  him  that  is  athirst  come.  And  ivhosoever  will,  let 
him  take  of  the  water  of  life  freely."  One  might  think 
that  these  plain  and  express  Scriptures  should  banish 
all  unbeheving  doubt  and  suspicion ;  for  in  them  God 
speaks,  Christ  speaks,  the  Spirit  speaks,  the  Church 
speaks,  and  all  say.  Come ;  but  as  if  a  mere  permission 
or  invitation  vrere  not  enough,  the  apostle  represents 
God  as  beseeching  or  entreating  us  to  come.  "  Now 
then  we  are  ambassadors  for  Christ,  as  though  God 
did  beseech  you  by  us  :  we  pray  you  in  Christ's  stead, 
be  ye  reconciled  unto  God."  Now,  let  me  ask  my 
doubting  spirit,  "WTiat  reason  can  justify  thy  refusal  to 
come  to  God  in  Christ,  or  what  excuse  can  be  offered, 
when  so  plain  a  warrant  is  given,  for  hesitation  or 
delay  ?  Thou  art  a  sinner — true ;  but  if  thou  were 
not  a  sinner,  thou  wouldst  not  need  to  be  saved — the 
Gospel  would  not  have  been  addressed  to  thee.  Thou 
art  a  great  sinner — ^be  it  so ;  but  is  not  Christ  a  great 
Saviour  too  ?  Thou  knowest  not  whether  thy  name 
be  written  in  the  book  of  life — true ;  but  God  speaks 
to  thee  in  his  Word ;  and  unless  thou  art  prepared  to 
avow  a  suspicion  of  God's  sincerity,  thou  knowest  that 
he  has  invited  thee  to  draw  nigh ;  and  if,  notwith- 
standing, thou  refdsest,  what  other  account  can  be 

B 


74  MEDITATION  IV. 

given  of  tliee,  than  that  -\vliich  the  Lord  gave  of  the 
unheUeving  Jews, — "  Ye  are  not  AvilUng  to  come  to 
me  that  ye  might  have  hfe  ?" 

IV.  Besides  the  revealed  character  of  God,  and  his 
declared  satisfaction  ^vith  the  Redeemer's  "work,  and 
his  free  and  aflfectionate  invitations  to  sinners,  another 
ground  of  encouragement  may  he  found  in  the  assur- 
ance Avhich  he  has  given  of  success,  confirmed,  as  that 
assurance  is,  hy  the  recorded  experience  of  all  who 
have  ever  put  God's  faithfulness  to  the  proof.  God's 
assurance  is,  that  every  one  that  cometh  shall  he  made 
welcome  ;  and  thus  -sve  read  in  that  precious  Scripture, 
*'  Him  that  cometh  unto  me,  I  will  in  no  v:ise  cast  out." 
This  glorious  truth  rests  on  God's  faithfulness,  and 
should  be  received  with  all  trust  on  his  hare  and  simple 
word ;  hut  it  is  confirmed  and  illustrated  hy  the  ex- 
perience of  every  sinner  that  has  at  any  time  ventured, 
on  the  faith  of  God's  word,  to  come  to  him.  No  such 
sinner  has  ever  hecn  cast  out.  Every  believer  can  set 
to  his  seal  that  God  is  true.  If  we  ask  any  Christian 
iriend  whom  we  know,  whether  he  has  ever  had  occa- 
sion to  doubt  God's  faithfulness  to  his  promise,  or  to 
repent  of  his  going  to  God  in  Christ,  on  the  strength 
of  his  testimony,  he  will  tell  us — Never :  God  was 
more  gracious  to  him,  the  more  he  trusted  in  God ;  he 
drew  nigh,  and  was  made  welcome  ;  he  has  never  had 
reason  to  regret  that  he  took  God  at  his  word  ;  his  only 
regret  is,  that  he  was  so  long  faithless  and  unbelieving. 
This  is  the  unaninious  testimony  of  the  Church,  that 


MEDITATION  IV.  75 

no  poor  sinner  was  ever  sent  empty  away.  And  if  it 
be  so,  why  should  any  of  us  doubt  our  warrant  to  go 
to  Christ  noAV?  Is  he  not  unchangeable — still  the 
same  "  Lord  over  all,  who  is  rich  in  mercy  to  all  that 
call  upon  him  in  truth  ?"  Is  not  the  warrant  of  faith 
the  same  now  as  it  ever  was, — as  full  and  as  free  as  it 
was  to  them  ?  "We  are  apt  to  imagine  that  there  is  a 
defect  in  our  warrant — that  others  have  had  special 
revelations  which  have  not  been  addressed  to  us ;  and, 
before  venturing  to  come  to  Christ,  we  seem  to  wish 
and  expect  that  something  more  should  be  revealed 
to  us  than  God  has  revealed  in  his  Word. 

But  here  we  err,  not  knowing  the  Scriptures,  and 
the  power  of  God.  The  revealed  Word  is  the  only 
warrant  of  faith.  AYe  must  come  to  God  on  the 
ground  of  Bible  testimony,  if  we  come  at  all.  It  is 
amply  sufficient  to  justify  and  to  encourage  us  in  ven- 
turing to  come  ;  and  if  we  believe  not  Moses  and  the 
prophets,  if  we  believe  not  God  speaking  in  the  Word, 
"neither  would  we  believe  though  one  should  rise 
from  the  dead."  And,  let  it  be  observed,  this  has  been 
the  warrant  of  faith  from  the  beginning — the  sole  and 
sufficient  ground  on  Avhich  any  sinner  was  ever  pre- 
vailed with  to  betake  himself  to  Christ.  It  was  on 
the  strength  of  God's  testimony  that  the  apostles 
believed, — that  the  confessors  and  martyrs  of  the 
primitive  Church  believed, — that  each  and  every 
Christian,  since  the  foundation  of  the  Church  was  laid, 
first  formed  his  resolution  to  cast  himself  on  the  for- 
giving mercy  of  God.     Ask  any  Christian  friend,  Had 


76  MEDITATION  IV. 

you  any  special  revelation ;  -were  you  told  that  your 
name  \vas  in  the  book  of  life ;  or,  -what  encouraged 
you  to  come  to  Clirist  ?  and  he  >vill  answer, — I  had 
no  revelation,  but  that  -which  is  in  your  hands ;  I  had 
no  insight  into  the  secrets  of  God's  decrees ; — but  I 
read  the  Bible ;  I  heard  God  speaking  to  sinners  in 
the  AVord — I  knew  myself  to  be  a  sinner,  and  that 
God  spoke  to  me;  I  believed  his  Word,  because  I 
judged  him  faithful  that  had  promised;  I  came  to 
him  on  the  warrant  of  his  ovm.  invitation,  and  I  have 
found,  in  my  blessed  experience,  that  "  there  failed 
not  ought  of  any  good  thing  which  the  Lord  had 
spoken — all  came  to  pass." 

Such  will  be  the  testimony  of  every  child  of  God. 
It  is  true,  indeed,  that  even  when  the  warrant  is  clear, 
the  sinner  may  find  that  there  is  something  in  the 
state  of  his  own  mind  that  hinders  him  from  comply- 
ing with  the  gracious  invitation ;  that,  while  the  way 
is  open,  there  is  a  barrier  within,  arising  from  the 
depraved  state  of  his  heart,  which  he  cannot  over- 
come in  his  OAMi  strength  ;  and  that,  although  no  new 
revelation  be  needful  to  perfect  his  warrant  to  believe, 
a  new  and  spiritual  influence  is  needful  to  dispose  him 
to  believe.  This  is  a  great  and  a  most  momentous 
truth,  but  it  does  not  affect  our  warrant, — that  is  clear, 
full,  and  undeniable ;  and,  being  so,  if  this  bar,  arising 
from  the  depraved  state  of  our  own  liearts,  prevents 
us  from  believing,  then  our  final  ruin  and  perdition 
must  not  be  ascribed  to  any  defect  in  Christ's  Gospel, 
it  lies  wholly  on  our  own  heads.     Would  to  God  that 


MEDITATION  IT.  77 

we  all  felt  tms  great  truth,  for  it  would  shut  us  up  to 
the  grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit !  God  has  revealed  the 
Holy  Spirit,  and  his  grace  will  be  given  in  answer  to 
prayer ;  for,  says  he,  "  Ask  and  ye  shall  receive."  "  If 
ye,  being  evil,  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  unto  your 
children,  how  much  more  will  your  Father  in  heaven 
give  the  Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  ask  him?" 

Y.  Finally,  if  we  he  still  in  doubt  as  to  our  warrant 
to  come  to  Christ  at  once,  and  without  delay,  let  U3 
consider,  that  this  is  not  only  in  Scripture  the  matter 
oi' permission  and  of  encouragement^  but  the  subject 
of  an  express  and  positive  command.  It  is  not  a  mere 
privilege,  which  we  are  at  liberty  to  enjoy ;  it  is  a 
duty  which  we  cannot  neglect  or  trifle  with,  without 
incurring  guilt  and  condemnation.  It  is  given  in  the 
shape  of  a  precept, — "  Beheve  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  and  thou  shalt  be  saved  ;"  and,  lest  this  should 
be  regarded  as  partaking  more  of  the  nature  of  an 
advice  than  of  an  injunction,  it  is  expressly  called  a 
commandment, — "  This  is  his  commandment^  that  we 
should  believe  on  the  name  of  his  Son,  Jesus  Christ." 
That  this  commandment  imposes  an  imperative  obli- 
gation on  every  sinner,  appears  from  the  word  which 
is  frequently  used  in  Scripture  to  denote  the  reception 
of  the  Gospel  message  ;  it  is  called  obeying  the  Gospel, 
or  the  obedience  of  faith ;  and  that  guilt  is  incurred  by 
trifling  with  that  message,  or  refusing  to  comply  with 
it,  appears  from  our  Lord's  solemn  statement, — "  He 

that  believeth  on  him  is  not  condemned ;  but  he  that 

7* 


78  MEDITATION  IV. 

beliereth  not  is  condemned  already,  because  he  hath 
not  belieyed  on  the  name  of  the  only  begotten  Son  of 
God." 

He  who  reflects  on  such  passages,  should  need  little 
urgency  to  be  persuaded  as  to  his  ■\varrant  to  go  to 
Christ  without  delay.  He  may  well  say,  this  is  no 
light  matter, — it  is  a  matter  of  life  or  death  :  if  God 
had  onlv  invited  me  to  come  to  him,  that  miiiht  have 
been  sufficient;  but  "vvhen  he  commands  me,  there  is 
no  room  left  for  hesitation.  I  mijiht  have  felt,  had 
he  only  given  a  general  permission,  that  it  would  have 
been  presumption  in  so  great  a  sinner  as  T  am,  to  close 
"with  it,  or  to  plead  it  at  his  throne ;  but  if  it  would 
have  been  presumption  to  take  his  gracious  promises 
to  myself,  is  there  not  greater  presumption  in  setting 
myself  against  his  positive  command,  in  refusing  to 
beHcve  when  he  makes  it  a  matter  of  express  duty  ? 
There  is  now  no  room  for  hesitation  or  delay.  He  has 
spoken  graciously  to  me, — ^he  has  invited  me  to  draw 
nigh, — he  has  commanded  me  to  seek  his  face, — he 
has  charged  me,  at  the  peril  of  condemnation,  to 
betake  myself  to  Christ  as  my  Saviour ; — and  I  will 
venture, — "  Lord,  I  believe,  help  thou  mine  unbelief." 

Oh !  when  the  poor  sufferer,  stunned  and  con- 
founded by  the  heavy  strokes  of  providence,  or  lacer- 
ated by  the  keener  strokes  of  convictio-n  in  his  soul, 
is  almost  distracted  by  the  terrors  of  the  Lord,  is  it  not 
a  comfort  to  him  in  his  affliction,  that  Jesus  himself 
has  said,  "  Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labour  and  are 
heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest;"  imd,  "him 


MEDITATION  IV.  79 

itat  cometli  to  me,  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out?"  He 
calls  us  to  come  to  him  mth  our  hurden, — let  it  be 
the  burden  of  guilt,  or  the  burden  of  sorrow,  or  the 
burden  of  fear,  to  come  and  lay  it  down  at  the  foot  of 
his  cross ;  and,  lest  the  disconsolate  spirit  should  fear 
that  he  will  not  be  made  welcome,  Jesus  assures  him, 
that  "  he  will  in  no  wise  cast  him  out."  Oh !  how 
sweet  and  consoling  that  invitation,  and  this  assurance, 
to  those  who  are  sensible  of  their  condition  as  sinners 
and  as  sufferers;  and  how  should  we  respond  to.it,  if 
not  in  the  language  of  the  apostle, — "  To  whom.  Lord, 
can  we  go  but  unto  thee  ?  thou  hast  the  words  of 
eternal  life** 


MEDITATION  V. 

Ps.  cxix.  50. — "  This  is  my  comfort  in  mine  affliction  :* 

**  The  viountains  shall  depart,  and  the  hills  he  removed ;  but 
my  kindness  shall  not  depart  from  thee,  neither  shall  the 
covenant  of  my  peace  he  removed,  saith  the  Lord  that  hath 
mercy  on  thee." — Isaiah  liv.  10. 

In  some  hour  of  pensiye  tliouglit,  every  one  must  have 
experienced  a  strange  mixture  of  feelings,  in  contem- 
plating the  aspects  of  external  nature,  "witli  reference  to 
the  short  and  uncertain  duration  of  human  life.  Some 
objects  in  nature  present,  indeed,  a  fair  emblem  of  our 
fleeting  existence.  The  lily,  which  blooms  and  fades  in 
spring, — the  rose,  >vhich  summer  expands,  and  which 
sheds  its  leaves  ere  sunnner  is  closed, — the  thousand 
insects  which  glitter  in  the  morning  sun,  and  which  iu:e 
brushed  to  the  pool  by  the  breeze  of  evening, — the  va- 
pour which  rises  from  the  earth,  and  floats  for  a  season 
in  the  sky,  but  is  dispersed  so  soon  as  the  meridian  sun 
pours  its  full  flood  of  light  and  heat  over  the  earth  and 
sea ; — these  objects,  so  beautiful,  and  yet  so  transient, 


MEDITATION  V.  81 

seem  to  be  faithful  emblems  of  the  shortness  and  un- 
certainty of  human  life,  and  as  such,  they  are  referred 
to  in  the  sacred  page,  when  man,  in  all  his  glory,  is 
compared  to  the  "  grass  which  groweth  up,"  and  to 
*'  the  flower  of  the  gi'ass  which  flourish eth,"  and  "  to 
the  vapour  which  appeareth  for  a  little  time,  and  then 
vanisheth  away."  Other  objects  in  nature  are  of  a 
firmer  texture  and  more  enduring  form ;  such  as  the 
mighty  oak,  which  centuries  have  confirmedin  strength, 
— the  trees  of  the  forest,  which  our  grandsires  planted, 
and  under  which  our  fathers  rested,  and  which,  after  all 
the  storms  that  have  raged  around  them,  still  afford  us 
their  shelter  and  shade.  In  contemplating  such  objects, 
a  melancholy  feeling  is  apt  to  steal  over  us,  a  feeling 
as  if  our  age  Avere  as  nothing  in  comparison  with 
theirs ;  and  we  are  ready  to  remember,  with  pensive 
sadness,  the  many  generations  of  our  friends  whom  they 
have  survived,  and  to  think,  with  sadness  still  more 
pensive,  that  the  same  branches  may  wave  in  the  wintry 
wind,  or  grow  green  in  the  spring,  or  cover  the  earth 
with  their  shadow  in  autumn,  when  our  frail  bodies  shall 
have  been  laid  in  their  narrow  home,  and  our  eye  for 
ever  shut  to  all  the  loveliness  of  nature.  Yet,  even  in 
these  objects  we  may  discern  the  symptoms  of  age  and 
frailty ;  the  oak  may  be  gnarled  and  bent,  and  here  and 
there  a  branch  may  exhibit  that  rottenness  Avhich  is  the 
prelude  to  universal  decay.  But  other  objects  there 
are  which  have  had  a  still  longer  existence,  and  yet 
exhibit  no  tendency  to  change:  the  everlasting  hills 
on  which  the  eyes  of  our  forefathers  looked,  are  still 


82  MEDITATION  V. 

before  us;  ■vve  live  amidst  the  mountains  to  whicli 
they  repaired  as  a  barrier  against  invasion,  or  a  refuge 
from  ignoble  thraldom ;  but  where  are  the  millions  of 
our  race  whom  these  mountains  sheltered  ?  where  the 
eyes  which  once  rested  on  their  verdure  ?  where  the 
limbs  which  toiled  up  their  steep  ascent  ?  A  thousand 
generations  of  our  race  have  passed  away,  but  these 
mountains  are  still  substantially  the  same ;  and,  in 
contemplating  such  scenes,  who  has  not  felt  a  sense  of 
his  own  insignificance  stealing  over  his  spirit,  while  he 
thought  of  the  contrast  which  their  stability  presents 
to  the  frailty  of  man  ?  But  what  shall.we  say,  if  even 
those  objects  which  are  most  stable  and  enduring,  shall 
be  declared  by  God  himself  to  be  frail  and  perishing  in 
comparison  with  ourselves;  if  the  everlasting  hills  shall 
be  held  up  as  a  faint  emblem  of  our  immortal  and 
imperishable  being  ;  and  if,  after  all  the  lessons  which 
the  flowers  of  the  field,  and  the  fleeting  vapours  of  the 
sky,  and  the  swiftness  of  the  shadow,  have  been  made  to 
teach  us  of  the  vanity  and  uncertainty  of  our  existence, 
here,  those  objects  in  nature  which  are  of  the  firmest 
texture  and  most  enduring  form,  shall  be  found,  not- 
withstanding, too  frail  and  fleeting  to  body  forth  our 
immortality  ?  Above  all,  what  shall  we  say,  if  those 
very  objects  which  fill  us  with  the  deepest  sense  of  our 
own  frailty,  by  presenting  a  contrast  in  their  enduring 
age  to  our  own  uncertain  life,  shall  be  selected  by  God 
himself,  as  emblems  of  his  faithfulness  to  a  ]^romise 
which  ete^mity  alone  can  fully  accomplish  ;  and  if  even 
the  everlasting  hills  shall  be  found  too  transient  to  re- 


MEDITATION  T.  83 

present  the  perpetuity  of  that  kindness  Avhich  he  hears 
to  us,  and  of  that  peace  which  he  is  willing  to  confer  ? 
"The  mountains  shall  depart,  and  the  hills  he  removed; 
hut  my  kindness  shall  not  depart  from  thee,  neither 
shall  the  covenant  of  my  peace  be  removed,  saith  the 
Lord  that  hath  mercy  on  thee." 

Besides  the  promise  -which  is  directly  conveyed  to 
us  in  these  words,  they  obviously  presuppose,  or  imply, 
certain  great  truths  which  lie  at  the  foundation  of 
Christian  comfort  and  hope. 

1.  The  promise  obviously  implies  the  hnmortality 
of  man.     It  points  to  the  dissolution  of  the  material 
world,  and  assures  him  that  he  shall  survive  the  wreck 
of  mountains;  it  refers  to  the  day  when  the  "earth  shall 
be  dissolved,  and  the  elements  shall  melt  with  fervent 
heat,  and  the  heavens  shall  be  rolled  up  as  a  scroll ;" 
but  tells  us  that  man,  small,  and  insignificant,  and  frail 
as  he  seems  to  be,  is  destined  to  an  immortal  existence, 
and  shall  be  the  object  of  God's  care,  after  all  other 
things  shall  have  passed  away.    Did  the  believer  fully 
realize  this  truth,  which  is  one  of  the  first  elements  of 
his  creed,  might  he  not,  even  when  standing  amidst 
the  everlastmg  hills,  exclaim, — "  Frail  as  T  am,  and 
deeply  as  in  such  scenes  I  feel  my  frailty,  I  am  stiU 
immortal,  and  their  duration  shall  bear  no  comparison 
with  mine.     True,  they  have  stood  the  shock  of  ages, 
and  ages  yet  to  come  may  leave  them  where  they 
stand ;  and  long  ere  they  shall  depart,  nay,  long  be- 
fore the  trees  which  crown  their  summits  shall  wither 
or  decay,  the  grave  shall  have  received  my  mortal 


84  MEDITATION  V. 

remains ;  T^ut  the  spirit  -svithin  me  cannot  die  ;  it  ■will 
survive  the  shock  of  dissolution ;  death  will  be  its 
birthday  into  an  immortal  existence;  and  in  some 
future  age,  may  it  witness  the  removal  of  these  moun- 
tains, and  the  dissolution  of  this  world,  while  still  it 
is  exulting  in  the  spring-time  of  eternal  youth." 

2.  This  promise  implies  the  eternity  and  hnmuta- 
hilitj  of  God,  by  whom  it  is  made.  He  speaks  as  the 
eternal  God,  to  man  as  an  immortal  being.  He  shall 
exist,  unchanged  and  unchangeable,  after  this  "world 
shall  have  passed  away.  And  what  is  God  to  his 
people  ?  he  is  their  Friend,  their  Portion,  their  All. 
Being  assured,  then,  of  their  own  immortality,  what 
should  afford  a  surer  ground  of  confidence,  or  nourish 
a  m.ore  joyful  hope,  than  the  thought  that  the  God 
•whom  they  love,  in  whom  they  trust,  and  whom  they 
have  chosen  as  their  portion,  shall  exist,  and  continue 
the  same  for  ever  ?  Yea,  though  all  things  else  be 
changnd, — though  the  sun  be  blotted  from  the  sky, 
and  the  stars  fall  from  heaven,  and  a  universal  change 
pass  over  the  face  of  nature,  yet,  God  being  for  ever  the 
same,  he  will  be  their  everlasting  stay,  the  "  strength 
of  their  hearts,  and  their  portion  for  ever."  Did  the 
believer  fully  realize  this  second  element  of  his  faith, 
might  he  not,  even  when  he  contemplates  his  departure 
out  of  this  world,  exclaim,  "  Take  me  from  this  earth, 
or  let  the  earth  itself  be  dissolved ;  let  me  pass,  if  it  be 
his  will,  into  the  world  of  spirits ; — yet,  being  assured 
of  my  immortality,  and  of  God's  eternal  and  unchange- 
able nature,  I  cannot  be  imbefriended  or  forlorn; 


MEDITATION  V.  85 

amidst  all  changes,  lie  will  he  the  same, — in  every 
region,  lie  will  he  present ;  and  Having  my  hope  and 
confidence  in  God,  that  hope  and  confidence  cannot 
be  impaired  by  the  greatest  convulsions  of  nature/* 
"  Of  old  hast  thou  laid  the  foundations  of  the  earth, 
and  the  heavens  are  the  work  of  thine  hands :  they 
shall  perish,  hut  thou  endurest ;  yea,  all  of  them  shall 
wax  old  like  a  garment :  as  a  vesture  shalt  thou 
change  them,  and  they  shall  he  changed :  hut  thou  art 
the  same,  and  thy  years  shall  have  no  end." 

3.  But  what  bond  subsists  betwixt  God  and  man  ? 
"What  is  the  ground  or  warrant  of  that  confidence 
which  we  draw  from  the  consideration  of  God's  eter- 
nal subsistence,  in  respect  to  our  own  immortal  state  ? 
The  bond  Avhich  connects  God  with  man,  the  ground 
and  warrant  of  our  confidence,  is  His  Word.  It  is 
plainly  implied  in  this  promise,  that  God's  word,  the 
word  which  he  has  spoken  for  the  comfort  of  his  people, 
shall  endure,  and  shall  have  its  accomplishment,  after 
"  the  mountains  have  departed,  and  the  hills  have 
been  removed."  God  gives  his  simple  ivord  as  our 
guarantee  for  eternity  !  In  the  midst  of  all  our  fears, 
he  interposes  his  promise,  and  that  must  be  our  staj^! 
And  Is  It  not  sufficient  ?  His  word  is  immutable  as 
God  himself;  by  his  w^ord,  the  world  was  created ;  by 
his  word,  the  world  will  be  dissolved ;  and  by  the  same 
word,  his  people  will  be  sustained  amidst  all  changes. 
That  is  a  bond  of  security  which  time  cannot  invali- 
date, nor  death  impair,  nor  the  wreck  of  universal 
nature  destroy, — for,  says  the  apostle,  "  we  are  born 

8 


86  MEDITATION  T. 

again,  not  of  corruptible  seed,  but  of  incorruptible  ;  hy 
the  word  of  God,  which  liveth  and  ahidethfor  ever!* 
And  then,  as  if  to  meet  the  very  fears  which  a  sense 
of  our  frailty  awakens,  he  adds,  "  all  flesh  is  as  grass, 
and  all  the  glory  of  man  as  the  flower  of  grass.  The 
grass  withereth,  and  the  flower  thereof  falleth  away; 
but  the  WORD  OF  the  Lord  exdureth  for  ever. 
And  this  is  that  word  which  by  the  Gospel  is  preached 
unto  you."  Of  that  word,  our  Lord  himself  declarecl, 
"  that  heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away,  but  one  jot 
or  one  tittle  of  the  law  cannot  fail," — and  God,  "  will- 
ing more  abundantly  to  show  unto  the  heirs  of  pro- 
mise the  immutability  of  his  counsel,  confirmed  it  by 
an  oath  ;  that  by  two  immutable  things,  in  v/hich  it 
was  impossible  for  God  to  lie,  we  might  have  a  strong 
consolation,  who  have  fled  for  refuge  to  lay  hold  on 
the  hope  set  before  us :  which  hope  we  have  as  an 
anchor  of  the  soul,  both  sure  and  stedfast,  and  which 
entereth  into  that  within  the  vail." 

While  these  three  things, — the  immortality  of  man, 
the  immutability  of  God,  and  the  everlasting  verity 
of  his  word, — are  necessarily  implied  in  this  sublime 
promise,  its  more  direct  and  immediate  objrct  is  to 
assure  us  of  the  unchangeable  kindness  of  God,  and 
of  the  everlasting  stability  of  a  covenant  in  which  that 
kindness  has  been  embodied,  and  is  revealed.  Tbat 
we  shall  survive  the  dissolution  of  material  nature  is 
a  sublime  truth  ;  but  far  more  cheering  is  the  assur- 
ance, that  God's  kindness  shall  not  depart  from  us, 
nor  his  covenant  of  peace  be  broken. 


MEDITATION  Y.  87 

This  covenant,  and  that  kindness,  are  in  some  re- 
spects distinguishable  from  each  other — his  kindness 
is  the  cause,  the  covenant  is  the  effect ; — the  former 
being  the  spring,  in  the  divine  mind,  of  all  those 
streams  of  mercy,  which  flow  through  the  channel  of 
the  covenant,  for  the  refreshment  of  the  weary  and 
forlorn. 

It  is  the  Covenant  of  Grace  which  is  here  spoken 
of.  It  is  mentioned  in  connection  with  God's  kind- 
ness ;  and  he  speaks  as  a  forgiving  father  :  "  my  cove- 
nant shall  not  depart,  saith  the  Lord  that  hath  mercy 
on  thee."  Blessed  be  God  !  it  is  not  of  the  covenant 
of  works  that  he  has  spoken  these  unchangeable  words, 
otherwise  we  might  well  call  upon  the  hills  and  the 
mountains  to  fall  upon  us,  and  hide  us  from  His  wTath. 
The  covenant  of  works  is  called  "  the  ministration  of 
death," — "  the  ministration  of  condemnation," — but  it 
is  added,  that  it  was  a  ministration  which  was  to  he 
done  avjay  ;  but  the  covenant  here  spoken  of  is  "the 
ministration  of  the  Spirit," — "the  ministration  of  right- 
eousness,"— "  the  everlasting  covenant,"  of  which  the 
apostle  says,  "  if  that  which  is  done  away  was  glo- 
rious, much  more  that  ivhich  remaineth  is  glorious." 

It  is  a  Covenant  of  Redemption.  God  here  speaks 
as  the  Redeemer  of  his  people, — "  For  a  small  moment 
have  I  forsaken  thee ;  but  with  great  mercies  will  I 
gather  thee.  In  a  little  wrath  I  hid  my  face  from 
thee  for  a  moment  ;  but  with  everlasting  kindness 
will  I  have  mercy  on  thee,  saith  the  Lord  thy 
Redeemer." 


88  MEDITATION  V. 

It  Is  God's  Covenant.  He  appropriates  it  to  him- 
self ■when  he  calls  it  the  "  covenant  of  my  peace ;  ** 
nay,  it  is  identified  in  Scripture  with  the  necessary  and 
unchangeable  attributes  of  the  divine  nature.  It  is 
called  "  the  counsel  of  God," — "  the  -wisdoni  of  God," 
— "  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation."  So  that  if  there 
be  an  immutable  perfection  in  God,  which  no  change 
in  creation  can  alter,  we  may  rest  assured  of  the  sta- 
bility of  that  covenant  which  is  the  charter  of  our 
immortal  hopes ;  his  faithfulness,  his  truth,  his  love, 
are  all  pledged  to  its  accomplishment ;  and  for  the 
honour  of  his  name,  as  well  as  for  the  happiness  of  his 
people,  "  God  will  ever  be  mindful  of  his  covenant." 

It  is  a  Covenant  of  Life^ — eternal  life  being  the  end 
in  which  it  terminates ;  it  is  a  covenant  o^  faith ^ — 
faith  being  the  means  by  which  its  blessings  are  en- 
joyed ;  it  is  a  covenant  of  promises^ — promises  which 
embrace  every  thing  that  is  needful  for  our  safety  and 
improvement  here,  and  for  our  endless  happiness  here- 
after ;  it  is  a  sure  covenant,  based  on  God's  infallible 
decree,  registered  in  his  unchangeable  word,  and  scaled 
by  the  Saviour's  blood  ;  it  is  a  well-ordered  covenant, 
arranged  by  unerring  wisdom,  and  adapted,  in  all 
respects,  to  the  nature  and  necessities  of  his  people. 

It  is  a  covenant  o{  Peace ^  of  actual  peace  with  God, 
and  of  sensible  peace  in  the  heart.  Of  actual  peace,  for 
Christ  "hath  made  peace  by  the  blood  of  the  cross;" 
he  hath  taken  away  the  enmity,  and  laid  the  ground  of 
a  full  and  everlasting  reconciliation  betwixt  God  and 
his  people.    So  soon  as  we  know  the  completeness  and 


MEDITATION  V.  89 

sufficiency  of  Christ's  propitiation,  and  tlie  success 
with  which  he  discharged  the  conditions  and  stipu- 
lations of  that  covenant,  we  not  only  see  the  solid 
ground  of  a  sinner's  acceptance,  hut  we  may  also 
enjoy,  in  a  measure  proportioned  to  the  strength  and 
constancy  of  our  faith,  the  sensible  experience  of 
peace  in  our  own  hearts.  And  what  kind  of  peace  is 
this  ?  God  says,  it  is  "  my  peace," — "  the  very  peace 
of  God  which  passeth  all  understanding ; "  and  to  the 
same  peace  the  Saviour  referred,  when,  conversing 
with  his  sorrowing  disciples  in  the  prospect  of  his 
departure,  he  bequeathed  it  as  his  dying  blessing, — 
"  Peace  I  leave  with  you,  my  peace  I  give  unto  you : 
not  as  the  world  giveth,  give  I  unto  you.  Let  not 
your  hearts  be  troubled,  neither  let  them  be  afraid;" — 
"  not  as  the  world  giveth,"  for  it  giveth  insincerely  or 
partially,  or  only  for  a  season  :  its  best  gifts,  even  when 
longest  enjoyed,  are  in  their  own  nature  transient ; — 
we  shall  either  be  taken  away  from  them,  or  they  shall 
be  taken  from  us,  and  assuredly  they  must  terminate 
when  the  world  itself  is  no  more ;  but  the  peace  of 
God,  having  its  seat  in  the  soul,  and  being  independ- 
ent of  all  outward  conditions,  is  "  a  well  of  water  that 
springeth  up  unto  everlasting  life." 

It  is  an  Everlasting  Covenant.  Its  origin  is  hid 
in  the  eternal  counsels  of  God  before  time  began,  and 
its  issues  shall  be  unfolded  after  time  shall  have  run 
its  course.  The  "  eternal  purpose  which  he  purposed 
in  Jesus  Christ  before  the  world  was,"  although  not 
revealed  in  all  its  vastness  until  "  the  fulness  of  times,** 

P 


90  MEDITATION  V. 

did,  nevertheless,  determine  the  course  of  providence, 
and  influence  the  condition  of  the  human  race,  from 
the  heginning ;  all  events,  the  fall  itself,  the  subse- 
quent treatment  of  Adam  and  his  posterity,  the  rise, 
establishment,  and  overthrow  of  nations  and  king- 
doms, the  marv^ellous  economy  of  the  Jews, — all  were 
permitted,  with  reference  to  this  scheme,  and  were 
from  the  first  subordinate,  and  will  ultimately  be  ren- 
dered  sul)servient,  to  the  confirmation  and  establish- 
ment of  God's  eternal  covenant.  Down  to  this  hour, 
it  has  stood  unchanged,  and  from  this  hour  onwards, 
to  the  end  of  time,  will  its  influence  extend  ;  men  will, 
as  of  old,  ridicule  its  claims,  or  deny  its  truth,  or  re- 
ject its  authority,  or  refuse  its  proffered  blessings ;  in- 
fidels, and  idolaters,  and  the  wicked  of  all  classes,  may 
combine  to  overthrow  it ;  the  fires  of  persecution  may 
be  li<::hted,  and  the  sword  unsheathed  against  its  de- 
fenders ;  but  that  covenant,  which  rests  on  the  decree 
of  God,  which  bears  the  seal  of  the  Redeemer's  blood, 
and  to  which  the  DiWne  Spirit  bears  witness,  shall  sur- 
vive every  successive  assault,  and  remain,  unchanged 
and  unchangeable,  after  all  its  enemies  have  gone 
down  to  the  grave  ;  nay,  after  the  earth  itself  shall 
have  been  dissolved,  and  every  man  shall  have  dis- 
appeared  from  its  surface,  that  covenant,  which  holds 
not  of  earth,  but  of  heaven,  shall  be  still  the  same, — ' 
eternity  itself  will  only  unfold  its  everlasting  issues. 

These  great  truths — the  immortality  of  man,  the  im- 
mutahility  of  God,  the  verity  of  his  word,  the  stability 
of  his  covenant,  the  unchangeableness  of  his  kindness, 


MEDITATION  V.  9% 

— tliese  are  the  pillars  and  supports  of  Cliristian  faith 
and  hope.  Thej  are  eternal  and  unchangeable  truths. 
Therefore  may  we  boldly  say,  "  The  Lord  Is  our  helper," 
— "  God  Is  our  refuge  and  strength,  a  very  present  help 
in  trouble.  Therefore  will  not  we  fear,  though  the 
earth  be  removed,  and  the  mountains  be  cast  into  the 
depths  of  the  sea ;  though  the  waters  thereof  roar  and 
be  troubled  ;  though  the  mountains  shake  with  the 
swelling  thereof."  "  My  heart  and  my  flesh  fail,  but 
God  is  the  strength  of  my  heart,  and  my  portion  for 
ever  ;"  for  this  is  his  own  imperishable  promise, — ■ 
"The  mountains  shall  depart, and  the  hills  be  removed; 
but  my  kindness  shall  not  depart  from  thee,  neither 
shall  the  covenant  of  my  peace  be  removed,  saith  the 
Lord  that  hath  mercy  on  thee.** 

Is  it  true  that  we  are  immortal  beins:s  ?  Is  it  true 
that  there  Is  an  unchangeable  and  eternal  God  ?  Is  it 
true  that  he  has  spoken  to  us,  and  that  his  "Word  is  in 
our  hands,  a  Word  which  shall  endure  for  ever  ?  Is 
it  true  that,  in  that  "Word,  God  reveals  to  us  a  cove- 
lant,  in  which,  if  we  be  personally  interested,  our 
safety  is  infallibly  secured  in  time,  and  our  happiness 
for  eternity  ?  Is  it  true,  that,  on  our  entering  within 
the  bonds  of  this  covenant,  embracing  its  promises, 
and  conforming  to  its  holy  spirit,  our  eternal  state 
depends  ?  And  is  it,  then,  reasonable,  is  it  not  rather 
the  deepest  Infatuation,  to  delay  for  one  hour  the  act 
by  which  we  are  to  secure  an  Interest  In  it  ?  Is  it  right 
to  pass  on,  from  one  stage  to  another  of  our  journey, 
all  the  while  exposed  to  sudden  death,  without  having 


92  MEDITATION  T. 

made  the  everlasting  salvation  of  our  souls  a  matter  of 
certainty  ?  Would  the  men  of  the  -world  thus  delay, 
Avere  a  covenant  or  compact  left  open  for  their  signa- 
ture, by  which  they  could  secure  a  rich  inheritance  for 
themselves  and  their  children  on  earth  ?  Would  they 
not  be  anxious  to  adhibit  their  names  to  the  agree- 
ment, so  as  that  all  parties  might  be  legally  bound,  lest, 
by  sickness,  or  death,  or  some  unforeseen  contingency, 
their  opportunity  of  implementing  the  deed  might  be 
forfeited  ?  Yet,  this  Is  for  an  inheritance  on  the  earth, 
an  inheritance  which  they  cannot  long  enjoy,  however 
long  it  may  endure,  for  they  and  their  children  must 
leave  it  at  death.  But  here  Is  a  covenant  -waiting  for 
our  signature,  a  covenant  -with  God,  a  charter  for  an 
immortal  inheritance.  Have  -we  signed  It  for  our- 
selves ?  have  -we  done  our  best  to  get  the  names  of 
our  children  enrolled  as  "heirs  of  God  ?"  or  are  we 
still  "  strangers  to  the  covenant  of  promise,  without 
Christ,  and  so  without  God,  and  without  hope  ?  " 

Gracious  God !  hast  thou  reared  above  us  such  an 
economy  of  grace, — a  covenant  which,  like  the  bow  of 
heaven,  spans  the  whole  horizon  of  time,  and  casts  on 
its  troubled  atmosphere  the  rays  of  peace  and  hope, — 
and  shall  we  not  see  thy  bow  in  the  clouds,  and  be 
glad  ?  Hast  thou  sent  this  covenant  as  an  ark  on  the 
swelling  Avaters,  and  shall  we  not  flee  to  It  as  our  re- 
fuge, and  be  safe  ?  Hast  thou  let  down  this  golden 
chain  out  of  heaven,  and  shall  we  see  it  hanging  over 
us,  and  within  our  reach,  and  not  lay  hold  of  it  ?  Hast 
thou  placed  us  under  a  dispensation,  dictated  by  kind- 


MEDITATION  V.  93 

ness,  designed  for  peace,  founded  on  a  great  redemp- 
tion, sealed  -with  tlie  blood  of  thine  own  Son,  attested 
by  all  thy  people  as  well-ordered  in  all  things  and 
sure,  and  effectual  for  the  highest  and  holiest  ends  of 
our  nature  ;  and  shall  we,  baptized  as  we  have  been 
into  that  covenant,  educated  from  our  infancy  in  the 
knowledge  of  its  truth,  and  sensible,  as  we  are,  that  it 
provides  for  those  wants  of  our  nature  which  the  world 
cannot  supply,  and  those  evils  for  which  the  world 
offers  no  remedy,  shall  we, — thus  baptized,  thus  edu- 
cated, thus  convinced,  turn  away  from  our  covenant 
God,  and  his  everlasting  kindness  ?  God  forbid  !  what 
shall  support  us  if  this  be  taken  away  ?  The  world  is 
about  to  be  destroyed,  and  even  though  it  were  eter- 
nal, yet,  being  mortal,  we  cannot  long  enjoy  it, — our 
bodies  must  be  dissolved, — and  our  immortal,  im- 
perishable spirits,  what  will  be  their  destination  at 
the  hour  of  death  ?  what  hopes  could  we  cherish,  nay, 
what  dark  forebodings  might  we  not  feel,  were  we  not 
supported  by  God's  own  recorded  promise, — "  The 
mountains  shall  depart,  and  the  hills  be  removed ;  but 
my  kindness  shall  not  depart  from  thee,  neither  shall 
the  covenant  of  my  peace  be  removed,  saith  the  Lord 
that  h9,th  mercy  on  thee." 


MEDITATION  VI. 


Ps.CXrX.50. — "This  IS  MY  COMFORT  IN  MINE  AFFLICTION  :** 

•*  We  hare  a  Great  High  Priest  that  is  passed  into  the  heavens, 
Jestis  the  Son  of  God" — "  not  an  High  Priest  tchich  cannot 
be  touched  with  the  feeling  of  our  infirmities ;  hut  was  in  all 
jiuints  tempted  like  as  we  are,  yet  without  sin." — Ueb.  iv. 
14,  15. 

In  these  words,  the  same  divine  person,  "  Jesus  the 
Son  of  God,"  is  presented  in  two  very  different  aspects, 
—in  the  one,  as  a  suffering — in  the  other,  as  an  exalt- 
ed Redeemer  ;  and  tlie  sorrows  which  he  endured  on 
earth  are  referred  to,  as  having  conduced  to  the  per- 
fection of  his  character,  and  the  eflBcacy  of  his  work, 
as  our  High  Priest  in  heaven. 

Referring  to  his  sufferings  on  cartli,  the  apostle  de- 
clares that  "  he  was  in  all  points  tempted  like  as  wo 
are."  The  Redeemer  himself  is  thus  presented  to  cur 
view  as  a  sufferer  ;  and,  perhaps,  the  most  instruc- 
tive statement  respecting  the  use  of  affliction,  and  one 
which  may  hest  serve  at  once  to  show  its  necessity, 
and  to  teach  us  patience  in  enduring  it,  is  the  state- 


MEDITATION  VI.  95 

ment  of  tlie  apostle,  that  "  it  became  God,  In  bringing 
many  sons  unto  glory,  to  make  the  Captain  of  their 
salvation jtjery^c^  through  sufferings" 

From  the  disparity  of  the  two  cases,  it  is  evident 
that  suffering  could  not  be  designed,  in  all  respects  for 
the  same  uses,  when  it  was  applied  to  "  the  Captain  of 
our  salvation,"  as  when  it  is  inflicted  on  ourselves. 
He  did  not  need,  like  his  people,  to  be  convinced  of 
the  unsatisfying  nature  of  created  happiness,  nor  to  be 
weaned  from  attachment  to  the  world,  nor  to  be  train- 
ed, by  any  process  of  discipline,  into  a  state  of  perfect 
conformity  to  the  divine  will.  No  alloy  of  sinful  ap- 
pet'te  or  passion  impaired  the  purity  even  of  his  human 
soul,  for  he  was  "  without  sin."  We  are  taught,  in- 
deed, to  believe,  that  his  human  nature  was,  like  ours, 
progressive.  He  was  born  into  our  w^orld  in  a  state  of 
infancy,  and  although  perfect,  as  being  free  from  every 
natural  defect  or  moral  blemish,  yet  his  human  soul 
was  capable  of  progress,  for  "  he  grew  in  wisdom  as 
wtII  as  in  stature."  And  since,  in  our  own  experience, 
suffering  is  conducive  to  the  progress  of  w^isdom,  who 
can  t'^ll  how  far  the  discipline  of  affliction  may  have 
served  to  expand  the  powers  and  to  foster  the  graces 
by  which  his  holy  humanity  was  adorned !  But,  leav- 
ing this  inquiry,  I  observe,  that  it  is  not  in  regard  to 
liis  human  nature,  viewed  apart  from  the  divine,  that 
the  apostle  here  speaks ;  his  words  refer  to  Christ,  as 
"  God  manifested  in  the  flesh,"  or  as  "  Emmanuel, 
God  with  us."  And  it  is  of  Christ,  in  his  one  person, 
and  in  his  of&cial  character  as  the  Caprtain  of  our 


96  MEDITATION  VI. 

salvation,  that  lie  affirms  that  "  he  was  made  pcifect 
throiijrh  sufferinjis."  It  Is  declared  that  these  suffer- 
ings  were  essential  to  his  offices,  and  that  they  served 
to  perfect  his  fjualifications  as  our  3Iediator. 

In  meditating  on  this  view  of  the  subject,  vrc  can- 
not fail  to  see, 

That  his  sufferings  perfected  his  character  as  IMe- 
diator,  inasmuch  as  they  constituted  that  atonement 
for  sin^  by  which  he  had  engaged  to  redeem  his  people. 
Til  at  our  Lord  was  personally  free  from  sin,  is  too 
frec[uently  and  plainly  stated  in  the  sacred  volume,  to 
admit  of  being  either  doubted  or  denied ;  and,  for  this 
reason,  it  might  have  been  expected  that  he  would 
have  been  exempt  from  all  suffering,  and  especially 
from  death,  which  Is  declared  to  have  been  "  the  wages 
of  sin ;"  and  un(][uestIonably,  had  he  become  Incarnate 
for  any  other  purpose  than  that  of  expiating  the  sins  of 
others,  he  would  have  been  as  free  from  suffering  as  he 
■was  from  jruilt,  and  his  life  would  have  been  as  muchi 
distinguished  for  its  felicity,  as  it  was  remarkable  for 
its  holiness.  But  "  he  was  wounded  for  our  transiires- 
sions,  he  was  bruised  for  our  Iniquities ;  the  chastise- 
ment of  our  peace  was  laid  upon  him,  and  by  his  stripes 
we  are  healed."  These  sufferings  were  necessary,  for 
"without  the  shedding  of  blood  there  is  no  remission;" 
and  they  were  so  endured,  as  to  render  him  perfect^ 
as  the  Captain  of  our  salvation.  Notwithstanding  the 
pressure  of  that  fearful  weight  of  guilt  which  crushed 
his  soul,  and  caused  him  to  be  "  exceeding  sorrowful, 
even  unto  death,"  he  persevered  till  he  obtained  the 


MEDITATION  VI.  97 

victory ;  and  altliough,  towards  the  conclusion  of  lils 
sorrows,  they  were  awfully  aggravated  by  the  judicial 
withdrawment  of  his  Father's  countenance,  when  he 
wasJhrsaTcen  and  left  alone  amidst  the  darkness  of 
Calvary,  yet,  for  the  joy  that  was  set  before  him,  he 
endured  the  cross,  till  he  could  say.  It  is  JinisJied. 
And  then,  as  our  redemption  was  completed,  so,  as  our 
Redeemer,  he  was  made  perfect  through  suffering.  By 
his  sufferings  his  mediatorial  work  was  fulfilled,  and 
on  the  ground  of  his  atoning  sacrifice,  he  was  quahfied 
"  to  save  nnto  the  very  uttermost  all  that  come  unto 
God  by  him;"  the  valley  of  humiliation  and  sorrow 
being  the  path  through  which  he  reached  the  glories 
of  that  mediatorial  throne,  where  he  now  reigns  as  a 
Prince  and  a  Saviour,  giving  repentance  and  the  re- 
mission of  sins.  And  should  not  this  comfort  the 
mourner  ?  that  he  has  a  perfect  Saviour  to  look  to, — 
one  who  was  severely  tried,  but  who  has  nobly  triumph- 
ed, and  who  has  already  cleared  away  every  obstacle, 
and  opened  up  a  free  access  to  pardon  and  peace ! 

The  sufferings  of  Christ  were  not  only  necessary  as 
an  expiation  for  sin,  but  also  to  perfect  his  example. 
He  is  represented  in  Scripture  as  the  pattern,  not  less 
than  as  the  priest  of  his  Church.  It  is  true  he  might 
have  given  an  example  of  holiness,  without  subjecting 
himself  to  that  humiliation  and  debasement  by  which 
the  narrative  of  his  life  is  distinguished ;  but  had  he 
not  been  brought  into  circumstances  similar  to  those 
of  his  people,  his  example  would  neither  have  been  so 
perfect  in  itself,  nor  so  well  adapted  to  the  situation  of 

9 


98  MEDITATION  VI. 

tliose  for  whose  imitation  it  was  deslgucd.  Had  he 
appeared  in  the  form  of  man,  hut  exempt  from  all  the 
frailties  and  wants  to  which  human  nature  is  subject,^ 
had  he  lived  on  earth  surrounded  with  the  glories  of  his 
divinit}',  or  even  in  the  enjoyment  of  that  affluence  and 
those  honours  by  which  the  great  men  of  this  world 
are  distinguished, — had  he  never  known  the  bitterness 
of  human  sorrow,  the  privations  of  poverty,  the  pains 
of  hunger  and  thirst,  and  the  sickness  and  toil  by 
which  the  spirit  of  man  is  overwhelmed,  he  would 
have  been  regarded  rather  as  an  extraordinary  excep- 
tion than  as  an  example  to  the  common  race  of  men ; 
and  any  sentiment  of  admiration  which  his  character 
might  have  awakened,  would  have  been  mingled  with 
a  feeling  of  envy  for  his  lot.  In  these  circumstances, 
too,  he  could  not  have  manifested  some  graces  of  char- 
acter which  it  was  his  great  object  to  inculcate  on  his 
disciples,  and  which  their  circumstances  in  the  present 
world  must  frequently  call  them  to  exercise, — such  as 
patience  under  suffering,  resignation  to  the  divine  will, 
and  unshaken  integrity  in  the  midst  of  trials  and  sor- 
rows. Hence  he  assumed  our  nature,  with  all  its  sin- 
less infirmities  and  wants ;  he  became  "  bone  of  our 
bone,  and  flesh  of  our  flesh  ;"  and  there  is  not  one  form 
of  privation,  nor  one  kind  of  suffering,  to  which  any 
of  us  can  be  exposed,  which  was  not  endured  by  him, 
whose  character,  from  the  manger  to  the  cross,  was 
that  of  "  a  man  of  sorrows,  and  acquainted  with  grief." 
And  in  proportion  as  his  sufferings  were  numerous  and 
severe,  so  was  his  example  the  more  perfect,  and  the 


MEDITATION  TI.  99 

better  fitted  to  eno;an;e  the  admiration  of  all  -who  are 
called  to  endure  any  one  of  the  many  sorrows  which 
were  crowded  into  his  lot. 

It  does  not  fall  Avithin  our  present  province  to  de- 
duce from  his  example  the  many  instructive  lessons 
which  it  affords,  hut  only  to  apply  it  for  the  consola- 
tion of  those  who,  like  him,  are  subject  to  severe  afflic- 
tion. That  it  does  furnish  a  very  precious  consolation 
to  mourners,  is  evident  from  its  being  specially  applied 
to  their  case  by  the  apostle,  when,  referring  to  their 
numerous  trials,  he  commands  them  to  "  consider  him 
who  endured  such  contradiction  of  sinners  against 
himself,  lest  they  be  weary  and  faint  in  their  minds." 
The  simple  fact  that  he  ivas  afflicted,  and  afflicted,  too, 
by  a  very  sore  and  protracted  series  of  trials,  should 
serve  to  banish  from  their  minds  the  idea  that  afflic- 
tion is  necessarily  the  fruit  of  divine  wrath,  or  the  token 
of  a  hopeless  state,  for  he  was  afflicted  at  the  very  time 
when  God  regarded  him  "  as  his  well-beloved  Son,  in 
whom  he  was  well  pleased." 

In  Christ's  afflictions  every  believer  may  find  the 
counterpart  of  his  own. 

Bom  of  parents  occupying  the  lowest  rank  in  so- 
ciety, he  was,  from  his  earliest  infancy,  subject  to  the 
privations  of  poverty ;  and  even  in  advanced  life,  and 
when  engaged  in  the  prosecution  of  his  public  minis- 
try, "  he  had  not  where  to  lay  his  head."  Are  any  of 
his  people  subject  to  the  same  privations,  straitened 
in  their  worldly  circumstances,  and  dependent  on  the 
daily  bounty  of  Providence  for  the  supply  of  their  sim- 


100  MEDITATION  VI. 

plest  wants ;  and  do  they  sometimes  feel  a  disposition 
to  be  "careful  and  troubled,"  or  even  to  murmur  at  the 
unec^ual  distribution  of  temporal  comforts  ?  let  them 
look  to  the  Saviour,  and  let  them  reflect  that  it  was  for 
their  sakes  he  descended  into  a  state  of  poverty,  that 
he  might  give  a  perfect  example  of  contentment  and 
cheerfulness,  even  in  the  most  adverse  circumstances, 
and  of  humble  trust  in  the  providence  of  him  "  who 
feeds  the  ravens  when  they  cry," — and  can  they  find 
it  in  their  hearts  to  murmur  or  complain  because  of 
their  poverty,  when  they  read  of  the  poverty  of  the 
Son  of  God  ?  Are  any  afflicted  by  reason  of  the 
alienation  of  friends,  or  the  malice  of  enemies  ?  are 
they  suffering  in  their  good  name,  or  in  their  worldly 
respectability,  by  ridicule  or  calumny  ?  or  have  they 
tasted  the  bitterness  of  being  betrayed  by  those  in 
TV'hom  they  reposed  their  confidence,  or  repaid  with 
ingratitude  by  those  whom  they  had  served  ?  Let 
them  look  to  the  Saviour,  and  behold  him  forsaken  in 
early  life  by  his  nearest  relatives, — surrounded  with 
enemies  the  more  inveterate  and  hostile,  because  he  had 
offered  no  provocation  except  to  love, — his  character 
assailed  as  one  in  league  with  Beelzebub,  although  he 
•was  infinitely  holier  than  we  can  pretend  to  be, — fol- 
lowed by  persecution  whithersoever  he  went, — repaid 
"with  ingratitude  even  by  those  for  Avhose  benefit  he  had 
exerted  miraculous  power, — and  at  length  betrayed  by 
one  of  his  own  disciples,  who  had  lived  and  sojourned 
with  him  for  years !  And  shall  any  complaint  be 
heard  from  us,  respecting  the  treachery  of  friends  or 


MEDITATION  VI.  101 

tlie  malice  of  enemies,  when  none  proceeded  from  the 
Son  of  God  ?  or  shall  we  venture  to  cherish  resent- 
ment, or  to  meditate  revenge,  when  we  read,  that  when 
**he  was  reviled,  he  reviled  not  again;  when  he  suffer- 
ed, he  threatened  not ;  but  committed  himself  to  him 
that  judgeth  righteously,''  and  died  with  these  words 
on  his  lips,  "  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not 
what  they  do  ?  "  Are  any  called,  In  the  course  of  pro- 
vidence, to  endure  suffering  unusually  severe,  or  to 
make  sacrifices  peculiarly  painful,  or  to  undertake 
labours  from  which  they  are  disposed  to  shrink  ?  let 
them  look  to  the  Captain  of  their  salvation,  who  felt, 
as  they  feel,  the  severity  of  his  trials,  and  the  arduous 
nature  of  his  work,  and  who  more  than  once  expressed 
his  feelings  in  this  earnest  supplication,  "  Father,  if  it 
be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from  me ;"  but  added, 
"  nevertheless,  not  my  will,  but  thine  be  done."  And 
can  they,  after  this,  venture  in  any  thing  to  oppose  the 
will,  or  to  murmur  at  the  appointments  of  God,  when 
Christ,  even  In  the  very  depths  of  his  agony,  resigned 
himself  to  suffer  according  to  his  Father's  will  ?  In 
the  lot  of  our  Saviour,  not  only  one  or  a  few  of  these 
evils  were  found,  but  all  were  combined,  and  each  in 
its  highest  measure,  as  if  it  were  God's  purpose  to  ex- 
hibit, in  ^15  person,  every  form  of  human  suffering,  and 
in  one  "man  of  sorrows,"  to  give  an  example  to  all 
who  are,  in  any  measure,  "acquainted  with  grief."  "We 
can  scarcely  point  to  one  form  of  misery,  excepting 
that  of  personal  guilt,  to  which  we  may  not  find  a 

counterpart  in  the  life  of  Jesus.     And  thus  was  his 

9* 


102  MEDITATION  VI. 

example  perfected^ — a  suffering  Saviour  becomes  the 
pattern  of  liis  suffering  people. 

And  what  variety  of  character  is  thus  concentrated 
in  his  one  example  !  immaculate  purity  combined  with 
vigilance  in  resisting  temptation, — firmness  and  com- 
posure in  the  midst  of  difficulties,  united  with  simple 
dependence  on  his  Father's  providence, — the  noblest 
magnanimity  appearing  under  the  most  humble  deport- 
ment,— a  generous  indignancy  against  whatever  was 
base  or  dishonourable  in  the  conduct  of  his  enemies, 
united  with  a  most  tender  and  loving  temper  toward 
their  persons.    In  the  lowest  depths  of  his  humiliation, 
the  Redeemer  was  sensible  of  the  honour  which  was 
due  to  him,  yet  he  bore  reproaches  and  insults  with  a 
meek  and  quiet  spirit, — he  was  often  fatigued,  but 
never  enervated  by  exertion, — beset,  but  never  daunted 
by  dangers, — assailed  by  persecution,  yet  not  diverted 
from  his  purpose, — as  firm  against  the  oppressor,  as  he 
was  kind  to  the  oppressed.    Considering  all  the  various 
aspects  of  his  character  as  they  arc  presented  in  the 
narrative  of  his  life,  we  see  how  many  of  the  most  pre- 
cious and  engaging  of  its  qualities  have  been  developed 
by  his  afflictions ;  and  how  true  it  is,  in  reference  to 
his  example,  as  well  as  to  his  atoning  sacrifice,  that,  as 
the  Captain  of  our  salvation,  "  he  was  made  perfect 
through  suffering."     Still  farther. 

The  sufferings  of  the  "  Captain  of  our  salvation " 
served  to  perfect  his  mediatorial  character,  and  to  pro- 
mote the  end  of  his  mission,  inasmuch  as  they  give  us 
the  assurance  of  his  sijynpathtj.     The  human  spirit, 


MEDITATION  VI.  103 

when  pressed  down  with  sorrow,  longs  for  sympathy, 
and  the  sympathy  which  it  seeks  is  that  of  a  heing 
possessed  of  kindred  feelings  with  its  own.  Even  from 
amongst  men,  what  sufferer  will  select  for  his  friend 
and  comforter  in  adversity,  one  who  has  enjoyed  a  life 
of  uninterrupted  prosperity,  and  who  has  never  tasted 
the  bitterness  of  sorrow  ?  he  seeks  to  another  strickea 
spirit  for  sympathy.  Let  an  angel  descend  from  the 
upper  sanctuary  to  visit  the  mourner,  kind  and  hene- 
volent  as  may  be  his  words,  he  is  felt  to  be  an  angel 
still ;  and  the  mourner  yearns  for  a  human  heart  to 
which  he  may  confide  his  sorrows — a  heart  filled  with 
the  homely  feelings  of  humanity,  and  feelings  tried  as 
his  own  have  been. 

Jesus,  the  Son  of  God,  became  man,  and  took  "  bone 
of  our  bone,  and  flesh  of  our  flesh,"  that  he  might  have 
a  fellow-feeling  with  our  infirmities,  and  that  we  might 
have  the  strong  consolation  of  his  sympathy  in  the 
hour  of  trial.  It  is  true,  that  in  his  divine  nature,  he 
was  omniscient,  and  that  all  our  wants  were  known  to 
him  before  he  descended  into  an  estate  of  humiliation ; 
his  experience  has  added  nothing  to  his  infinite  know- 
ledge ;  but,  oh !  it  has  served  to  endear  him  to  his 
suffering  people,  and  to  adapt  his  character  to  their 
need.  We  cannot  venture  to  make  his  human  expe- 
rience the  subject  of  our  speculation;  but  we  are 
assured  of  the  fact,  that  to  his  Godhead  humanity  was 
united ;  and  we  are  taught  in  Scripture  to  regard  the 
feelings  of  his  human  nature  as  uniting  him  to  us  in 
the  bond  of  brotherhood,  and  as  an  additional  motive 


104  MEDITATION  TI. 

to  confide  in  his  love.  For  thus  saith  the  apostle,  "TVe 
have  not  an  high  priest  Avho  cannot  be  touched  with 
the  feeling  of  our  infirmities,  but  one  who  was  in  all 
points  tempted  like  as  we  are  ;"  "let  us  therefore  come 
boldly  unto  the  throne  of  grace,  that  we  may  obtain 
mercy,  and  find  grace  to  help  in  time  of  need." 

The  benefit  of  his  sufferincrs,  as  affording  an  assur- 
ance  of  his  sympathy,  will  be  farther  apparent,  if  we 
now  meditate, 

On  the  same  divine  person  not  only  as  a  suffering, 
but  also  as  an  exalted  Redeemer ;  and  consider  the 
sorrows  which  he  endured  on  earth,  as  having  conduced 
to  the  perfection  of  his  character,  and  the  efficacy  of 
his  work  as  our  High  Priest  in  heaven.  In  the  one 
clause,  the  Redeemer  is  described  as  '"''  a  man  of 
sorrows,"  "  who  was  tried  in  all  points  like  as  we 
are  ;"  in  the  other,  as  "a  Great  High  Priest,  who  has 
passed  into  the  heavens."  His  exaltation  to  glory 
is  a  grand  and  consoling  truth  to  his  people,  and  it 
is  here  presented  as  the  rock  of  their  confidence  and 
hope, — "  we  have  a  Great  High  Priest  who  has 
passed  into  the  heavens,  Jesus  the  Son  of  God;" — 
a  Priest, — a  High  Priest, — a  Great  High  Priest, — a 
Great  High  Priest  that  has  passed  into  the  heavens; 
— what  shall  we  add  more  ?  Jesus  the  Son  of  God  ! 
The  glory  of  his  divine  person,  and  the  dignity  of  his 
exalted  state,  may  well  cheer  us  in  the  darkest  hour ; 
but  the  brightness  of  his  glory,  and  the  height  of  his# 
exaltation,  are  enhanced  and  endeared  to  his  suffer- 
ing people,  by  the  touching  recollection,  that  "  he,  too. 


MEDITATION  VI.  105 

"was  a  man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted  witb.  grief."  It 
is  the  same  divine  person  that  has  passed  Into  the 
heavens,  and  there  taken  his  place  at  the  right  hand 
of  God,  far  ahove  all  principality  and  power,  who  once 
trode  the  same  vale  of  tears  which  we  now  tread,  and 
shared  our  feelings  as  well  as  our  fortunes  on  earth  ; 
ivho  stood  by  the  bier  of  the  widow's  son,  and  who 
groaned  in  spirit,  and  was  troubled,  and  ivept  at  the 
grave  of  Lazarus,  and  who  spoke  soothingly  to  his 
weeping  sisters ;  who,  in  his  own  person,  felt  what 
it  was  to  live  a  suffering  life,  and  to  die  a  painful 
death ;  and  in  the  pangs  of  hunger  and  thirst,  in  the 
privations  of  poverty,  in  the  perils  of  persecution,  and 
in  the  deep  agony  of  the  garden  and  the  cross,  tasted 
every  variety  of  human  sorrow,  and  sounded  tha 
lowest  depths  of  human  nature.  The  same  dmne 
person,  who  then  suffered  and  wept,  ^'' has  passed  into 
the  heavens" — but  think  not  that  he  has  left  his 
human  sympathies  behind  him.  There,  as  here,  he 
is  our  High  Priest,— a  Great  Pligh  Priest,  and  highly 
exalted, — ^^'et,  not  the  less  a  "  merciful  and  faithful 
High  Priest  in  things  pertaining  to  God," — a  High 
Priest,  who  is,  indeed,  "  the  brightness  of  his  Father's 
glory,"  yei^  "  made  like  unto  his  brethren,"  that  hav- 
ing himself  suffered,  being  tempted,  "  he  might  be  able 
to  succour  them  that  are  tempted."  He  is  our  High 
Priest  still :  amidst  the  glories  of  the  upper  sanctuary, 
the  same  gracious  work,  and  the  same  suffering 
people,  engage  his  thoughts,  as  when  he  sojourned  on 
.•arth :  here  he  offered  a  sacrifice  for  sin,  which  he 

G 


106  MEDITATION  VI. 

there  presents  at  the  throne;  and  he  is  exalted  for 
the  very  purpose  of  carryinfr  into  effect,  and  hringing 
to  its  completion,  that  ^vork  of  redeeming  mercy 
"vvhich  hroucrht  him  do^vn  from  heaven. 

The  office  -which  he  still  sustains,  and  the  work  in 
Tvhich  he  is  enjjarred  on  our  hehalf,  are  of  the  hijihest 
importance  to  our  wellbeing ;  and  the  consideration 
of  his  sufferings  on  earth,  imparts  to  his  agency  in 
heaven  a  character  of  tenderness  which  is  fitted  to 
cheer  the  disconsolate  spirit,  and  to  invite  its  con- 
fidence and  hope. 

"  lie  is  exalted,  as  a  Saviour,  to  give  repentance 
and  the  remission  of  sins."  He  has  the  power  of  dis- 
pensing pardon  ;  and  who  ■will  question  his  willingness 
to  .exercise  it  ?  Did  he  undertake  the  work  of  re- 
demption, "  and  humble  himself,  and  become  obedient 
■unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross,"  that  he  might 
accomplish  it ;  and  is  he  unwilling  freely  to  bestow  the 
pardon  which  he  so  painfully  procured  ?  Was  "  his 
soul  exceeding  sorrowful  even  unto  death,"  that  sin 
might  be  forgiven  ?  And  now,  that  he  has  passed 
into  the  heavens,  croAvned  with  victory,  will  he  with- 
hold the  fruits  of  his  triumph  ?  Has  he  addressed  to 
every  sinner  who  hears  the  Gospel,  the  most  tender 
invitations,  and  called  them,  in  accents  of  strong 
persuasion,  to  "come  to  him?"  And  will  any  one 
sinner,  however  guilty  or  forlorn,  be  coldly  received 
or  sternly  repulsed,  when,  taking  Christ's  own  word 
for  his  warrant,  he  looks  up  to  him  in  prayer  ?  Oh  ! 
little  do  we  know  the  tenderness  of  his  heart,  and  the 


MEDITATION  VI,  107 

freeness  of  his  grace,  if  v>e  can  for  one  Instant  entertain 
these  dark  suspicions.  "  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ 
cleanseth  from  all  sin."  "  Come  now,  and  let  us 
reason  together,  saith  the  Lord  :  Though  jour  sins  be 
as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  white  as  snow ;  though  they 
be  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool."  "  Come 
unto  me  all  ye  that  labour  and  are  heavy  laden,  and 
I  will  give  you  rest."  "  Whosoever  will,  let  him. 
come  and  take  of  the  water  of  life  freely."  The  war- 
rant is  clear ;  no  bar  remains  to  shut  us  out  from  the 
Saviour;  and  the  fact,  that  he  suffered  and  died  to 
redeem  us,  aifords  a  precious  assurance,  that  he  is 
willing  as  well  as  "  able  to  save  unto  the  very  utter" 
must,  all  that  come  unto  God  by  him." 

He  is  also  represented  as  our  Advocate  or  In- 
tercessor with  the  Father.  He  stands  engaged  to* 
plead  our  cause  in  heaven.  On  earth  he  prayed  for 
his  disciples,  and  he  prays  for  them  still.  Ere  yet  he 
left  the  world,  he  remembered  their  sad  estate,  the 
trials  which  were  yet  before  them,  and  the  dangers  by 
.  which  they  should  be  surrounded,  and  he  offered  up 
for  them,  and  for  us,  that  touching  prayer  : — "  Now 
I  am  no  more  in  the  world,  but  these  are  in  the 
world,  and  I  come  to  thee.  Holy  Father,  keep  through 
thine  own  name  those  whom  thou  hast  given  me." 
"  I  pray  not  that  thou  shouldst  take  them  out  of  the 
world,  but  that  thou  shouldst  keep  them  from  the 
eviL"  "  Sanctify  them  through  thy  truth."  "  Father, 
I  will  that  they  also  whom  thou  hast  given  me  be 
with  me  where  I  am,  that  they  may  behold  my  glory." 


lOd  MEDITATION  VI, 

Is  any  mourner  so  disconsolate  tli.it  lie  cannot  pray, — 
so  bowed  down  to  the  earth,  Ly  the  pressure  of  sorrow, 
that  he  cannot  venture  to  lift  his  eye  to  the  throne  ? 
Let  him  hear  the  Redeemer's  prayer  for  him,  and  take 
courage  ;  and  let  him  remember,  that  such  as  he  was 
when  he  uttered  that  prayer  on  earth,  such  is  he  still 
in  heaven.  What  can  be  more  consoling  than  to 
know  that  we  go  not  unbefriended  to  the  throne  of 
the  Eternal ;  that  at  God's  right  hand  we  have  an 
advocate,  even  Jesus  Christ  the  righteous ;  that  he 
has  a  fellow-feeling  with  us  in  all  our  infirmities  ;  that 
he  has  himself  known  the  heart  of  a  suppliant,  and, 
that  even  as  he  once  made  supplication,  with  strong 
crying  and  tears,  so  will  he  sympathize  with  our 
earnestness,  and  present  our  prayers  with  a  feeling  of 
personal  interest  at  his  Father's  throne. 

He  is  represented  as  our  Pkopiiet  or  Teacher  ; 
and  what  can  be  more  consoling  than  to  know,  that, 
in  the  days  of  his  humiliation,  he  was  himself  in  a 
state  of  infancy,  and  grew  in  wisdom  as  well  as  in 
stature,  since  it  gives  us  the  assurance,  that  "  he  can 
have  compassion  on  the  ignorant,  and  on  them  that  are 
out  of  the  way ; "  that  he  will  sympathize  with  our 
feelings,  and  make  allowance  for  our  slowness,  and 
encourage,  rather  than  rebuke,  our  feeble  and  im- 
perfect cfiorts  ?  "  lie  will  not  break  the  bruised  reed, 
nor  quench  the  smoking  flax."  The  narrative  of  his 
life  on  earth  contains  many  incidents  that  are  fitted 
to  invite  our  confidence  in  him,  as  a  very  tender  and 
compassionate   teacher;   for,   although  possessed  of 


MEDITATION  VI.  109 

infinite  knowledge,  and  grieved  ofttimes  by  tlie  narrow 
prejudices  of  his  disciples,  oli !  with  what  patience 
did  he  unravel  their  perplexities,  and  hear  with  their 
perverse  ignorance,  and  guide  them,  step  hy  step,  into 
the  knoAvledge  of  saving  truth,  "  giving  them  line  upon 
line,  and  precept  upon  precept,  here  a  little,  and  there 
a  little,"  "  according  as  they  were  able  to  hear  it ;" 
not  tasking  their  feeble  powers,  but  allowing  them 
gradually  to  open,  and,  as  they  opened,  filling  them 
with  the  purest  light ;  encouraging  the  timid,  gently 
restraining  the  fro  ward,  and  rebuking  none  save  such 
as  were  captious  enemies  to  the  truth;  while,  over 
the  whole  field  of  instruction,  was  shed  the  light  of 
his  benignant  love,  and  of  his  glorious  example.  Let 
the  disconsolate  spiiit  rejoice  and  be  glad,  for  the 
Redeemer  is  still  the  teacher  of  his  people ;  and  with 
the  same  patience  and  tenderness  as  of  old,  will  he  bear 
with  their  infirmities,  and  guide  them  into  all  truth. 

For  this  end,  and  also  for  the  sanctification  and 
comfort  of  his  people  in  all  ages,  he  is  the  Dispenser 
OF  THE  Holy  Spirit.  "  I  will  pray  the  Father,  and 
he  shall  give  you  another  Comforter,  that  he  may  abide 
with  you  for  ever,  even  the  Spirit  of  Truth;"  "who 
dwelleth  with  you,  and  shall  be  in  you;"  and  "the 
Comforter,  which  is  the  Holy  Ghost,  whom  the  Father 
will  send  in  my  name,  he  shall  teach  you  all  things." 
The  Redeemer  has  not  been  unmindful  of  his  gracious 
promise;  for,  referring  to  the  effusion  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  Peter  declared,  "  that 
being  by  the  right  hand  of  God  exalted,  and  having 


tlO  MEDITATION  TI. 

received  of  the  Father  the  promise  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
he  hath  shed  forth  this  -which  ye  now  see  and  hear;" 
and  helierers  in  all  ages  have  ackno^vledged  the  faitll- 
fulness  of  his  promise,  and  the  unspeakable  value  of 
this  gift ;  attributing  all  their  spiritual  discernment  of 
divine  truth,  all  their  progress  in  the  work  of  sanctifi- 
cation,  and  all  their  enjoyment  of  spiritual  consolation, 
to  the  influences  of  that  Divine  Spirit  -who  has  engaged 
**  to  help  their  infirmities,"  and  to  instruct,  purify,  and 
comfort  the  minds  of  the  disciples.  Is  any  mourner, 
then,  weighed  down  by  a  sense  of  his  ignorance,  or  the 
bardness  and  insensibility  of  his  heart,  or  the  preva- 
lence of  corruption,  or  great  spiritual  darkness,  which 
shuts  out  every  ray  of  Christian  peace  and  hope ;  and 
does  he  feel  that  all  the  consoling  views  which  the 
Bible  presents  of  the  nature  and  ends  of  affliction,  can 
iave  no  effect  on  his  mind,  so  long  as  it  is  thus  har- 
dened by  sin,  and  overshadowed  with  darkness  ?  Let 
him  look  to  the  Holy  Spirit  of  promise,  and  rejoice 
that  an  all-sufficient  Sanctifier  is  provided ;  one  who 
can  subdue  the  deadliest  corruption,  and  cure  the  most 
hopeless  ignorance,  and  dispel  the  deepest  darkness ; 
let  him  pray  for  his  assistance  and  blessing ;  and,  to 
encourage  his  hope,  let  him  remember,  that  the  Re- 
deemer who  died  for  him,  has  authority  to  dispense  the 
Spirit,  and  that  his  own  Word  assures  him,  that  his 
assistance  will  be  given  in  answer  to  prayer.  "  If  ye, 
heing  evil,  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  unto  your 
children,  how  much  more  will  your  Father  in  heavea 
give  the  Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  ask  him  ? " 


MEDITATION  VI.  lit 

The  Redeemer  is  exalted  as  head  over  all  things  to 
his  Church.  He  is  not  only  the  king  of  his  people, 
the  master  whom  they  serve,  and  who  will  not  lay 
upon  them  more  than  they  are  able  to  bear,  but  he 
presides  over  every  things  both  in  nature  and  in  grace, 
by  which  their  interests  can  in  any  way  be  affected, 
and  he  conducts  his  universal  government  with  a  view 
to  their  good. 

The  inference  which  the  apostle  draws  from  the 
feet,  that  "  God  so  loved  the  world,  as  to  give  his  only 
begotten  Son,"  is,  that  "if  God  spared  not  his  own 
Son,  but  gave  him  up  to  the  death  for  us  all,  much 
more  will  he  with  him  also  freely  give  us  all  things!* 
And  what  is  meant  by  the  "  all  things  "  here  spoken 
of,  we  gather  from  that  noble  passage,  which  may  well 
be  called  the  charter  of  the  believer's  privileges  :  "  All 
things  are  yours;  whether  Paul,  or  Apollos,  or  Cephas, 
or  hfe,  or  death,  or  things  present,  or  things  to  come ; 
all  are  yours,  and  ye  are  Christ's,  and  Christ  is  God's." 
Our  interest  in  this  glorious  charter  rests  on  the  right 
of  Christ,  with  whom  we  are  Joint  heirs.  And  of  him 
it  is  said,  "  The  Father  loveth  the  Son,  and  hath  given 
all  things  into  his  hand ; "  and  that  he  hath  made  him 
"head  over  all  things  to  the  Church,  which  is  his 
body."  From  the  intimate  union  which  subsists  be- 
twixt the  Redeemer  and  his  people,  and  the  deep  in- 
terest which  he  takes  in  their  welfare,  the  apostle  draws 
the  consoling  conclusion,  "  We  know  that  all  things 
work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love  God.'* 

We  have  already  seen,  that,  amidst  the  numerous 


1 1  2  MEDITATION  VI, 

afflictions  of  life,  mourners  may  derive  consolation 
from  the  thought,  that  God's  providence  presides  over 
their  affairs ;  *  but  the  Bible  does  give  a  new  aspect  to 
providence,  and  an  additional  ground  of  comfort,  when 
it  represents  all  the  affairs  of  this  world  as  being 
subordinated,  under  the  mediatorial  government  of 
ike  Saviour,  to  the  scheme  of  redemption,  and  as 
concurring  with  the  means  embraced  in  that  scheme 
for  the  promotion  of  God's  glori/  and  his  peojjle's 
happiness. 

In  this  view,  the  scheme  of  redemption  is  not  only 
the  principal  feature  of  providence,  but  it  throws  a  clear 
light  over  every  other  part  of  it.  Like  the  sun,  which 
is  not  only  the  most  glorious  object  in  the  firmament, 
but  which  sheds  its  lustre  over  every  part  of  nature, 
and  gilds  with  its  beams  what  would  else  have  been 
dark  and  cheerless  as  the  grave,  so  the  scheme  of  re- 
demption, while  it  is  the  most  glorious  object  which 
the  volume  of  providence  presents,  casts  its  own  sacred 
light  over  every  page  of  that  volume,  and  gilds  with 
the  rays  of  mercy  and  peace,  the  darkest  mysteries 
which  it  contains. 

For  the  whole  government  of  the  world  is  represented 
as  having  been  confided  to  the  Saviour  himself,  so  that 
we  have  the  unspeakable  consolation  of  knowing,  that 
the  same  divine  and  compassionate  Redeemer,  who 
suffered,  and  bled,  and  died  on  our  account,  has  the 
entire  management  of  our  affairs ;  that  the  same  love 
which  prompted  him  to  acconi2>lish  the  work  of  our 
*  Meditatiok  I. 


MEDITATION  VI.  113 

redemption,  still  actuates  his  holy  administration ;  and 
that  nothing  can  happen  in  the  course  of  providence 
which  is  not  permitted  or  appointed  by  him  "  who 
loved  us  and  gave  himself  for  us."  In  proportion  to 
our  persuasion  of  his  love,  should  be  our  confidence  in 
his  government ;  and  what  proof  of  sincerity,  or  what 
pledge  of  love,  can  we  desire  which  is  not  afforded 
by  his  past  dealings  on  our  behalf?  If  he  died  for 
us,  will  he  not  now,  when  all  things  are  put  under 
his  power,  "make  all  things  work  together  for  our 
good  ? ''  And  may  we  not  rest  assured,  that  the  love 
which  he  manifested  on  earth  is  but  a  pledge  of  the 
love  which  he  still  bears  to  us,  and  that  he  will  neither 
forget  nor  forsake  us,  until  he  has  accomplished  the 
grand  end  of  his  mission  by  our  deUverance  from  all 
evil,  and  our  joyful  entrance  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  ? 

True,  there  may  still  be  much  mystery  in  the  methods 
of  his  providence,  and  we  may  often  be  at  a  loss  to 
discover  the  operati©n  of  that  divine  love  which  he  is 
pledged  to  exercise  on  our  behalf;  clouds  and  dark- 
ness may  encompass  our  path,  and  at  times  our  faith 
in  the  superintending  love  of  the  Redeemer  may  bo 
ready  to  fail ;  but  we  have  his  sure  and  faithful  word 
of  promise,  "  that  he  will  never  leave  us  nor  forsake 
us."  That  promise  is  sealed  by  his  precious  blood,  in 
which  we  have  both  a  proof  and  a  pledge  of  his  sin- 
cerity, that  should  silence  every  murmur  of  doubt  or 
despair.    We  have  the  testimony  of  all  his  disciples  in 

every  age,  that,  when  "  they  trusted  in  him  they  wera 

10* 


114  MEDITATION  VI. 

not  ashamed ;  and  that,  although  they  were  ofttiraes 
*'  led  hj  a  way  -which  they  did  not  know,"  he  made 
"  darkness  light  before  them,  and  crooked  things 
straight ;"  and,  resting  on  this  foundation  in  the  hum- 
ble confidence  of  faith,  may  we  not  say,  "  I  know 
whom  I  have  believed,  and  am  persuaded  that  he  is 
able  to  keep  that  which  I  have  committed  unto  him 
until  the  great  day  ?  " 

Oh !  how  cheering  to  know,  that  Christ  is  now  the 
Bame  in  heaven  as  he  was  when  on  earth ;  that  the 
glory  of  heaven  has  not  changed  him  ;  that,  when  he 
died,  he  did  not  throw  aside  our  nature,  but  resumed 
it  at  his  resurrection,  and  still  retains  it  in  personal 
union  with  the  divine  ;  that,  amidst  the  joys  of  heaven, 
lie  has  not  forgotten  any  one  of  his  "  little  flock,"  for 
whom  he  suffered  in  the  garden  and  on  the  cross ; 
that  he  who  was  "  bone  of  our  bone,  and  flesh  of  our 
flesh,"  is  now  made  "  head  over  all  things,"  yet,  that 
he  still  regards  us  with  a  brother's  eye ;  that,  having 
borne  our  grief,  he  still  sympathizes  with  our  sorrows, 
— "  a  Great  Ilig-h  Priest  passed  into  the  heavens," 
yet,  "touched  with  a  feeling  of  our  infirmities!" 
While  awed  by  the  majesty  of  his  Godhead,  how 
cheering  to  think  of  the  tenderness  of  his  humanity ; 
and,  when  almost  afraid  to  lift  up  our  eyes  to  the 
place  where  his  honour  dwcllcth,  how  affecting  the 
thought,  that  there  is  u  human  heart  on  the  throne. 


MEDITATION  VII. 


Ps.  cxix.  50. — **  This  is  my  comfort  in  mine  affliction  • 

"  Whom  the  Lord  loveth  he  chasteneth,  and  scourgeth  every 
son  ichom  he  receiteth."  "  No  chastening  for  the  present 
seemeth  to  he  joyous,  hut  grievous :  nevertheless  afterward 
it  yieldeth  the  peaceable  fruit  of  righteousness  in  them  which 
are  exercised  thereby." — Heb.  xii.  6-11. 

The  Bible  affords  a  solid  ground  of  comfort  under  trial, 
in  tlie  views  which  it  presents  of  the  uses  and  ends 
of  affliction,  under  the  economy  of  redemption.  While 
it  declares,  that  all  our  afflictions  proceed  from  the 
hand  of  God,  and  that  he  employs  them  as  a  means  of 
manifesting  the  rectitude,  and  vindicating  the  honour 
of  his  government,  it  affirms,  nevertheless,  that  he 
takes  no  pleasure  in  the  infliction  of  suffering  for  its 
own  sake,  and  that  "  he  doth  not  afflict  willingly,  nor 
grieve  the  children  of  men."  *  Had  the  Bible  presented 
no  other  than  this  negative  view  of  affliction,  it  would 
still  have  cleared  the  character  of  God  from  the  un- 
worthy suspicion,  that  he  takes  a  cruel  or  capricious 
delight  in  the  infliction  of  suffering,  and  would  have 
♦  Meditation  ii. 


116  MEDITATION  VII. 

served  so  far  to  compose  our  minds  under  trial,  by  giv- 
ing us  the  assurance,  that  no  suffering  wouhl  be  inflicted 
-without  some  reason  which  was  satisfactory  to  infinite 
benevolence  and  wisdom.  But  the  Bible  is  far  from 
confining  its  consoling  discoveries  to  this  negative  view 
of  the  subject :  it  not  only  denies  that  affliction  is  the 
result  of  caprice  or  cruelty,  but  alfirnis  that,  under  the 
scheme  of  grace,  it  is  the  result  of  pure  and  compre- 
hensive benevolence,  and  the  means  of  positive  e;ood. 

It  is  one  of  the  grandest  peculiarities  of  the  scheme 
which  is  unfolded  in  Scripture,  that  it  subordinates 
every  thing  to  one  great  and  beneficent  end, — that  it 
educes  from  acknowledjied  evil  the  most  substantial 
good, — that  it  makes  sin  the  occasion  of  a  bright  dis- 
play of  divine  holiness,  and  suffering  the  occasion  of 
a  marvellous  manifestation  of  divine  love, — and  that, 
in  its  application  to  the  hearts  of  men,  it  converts  the 
very  afflictions,  which  are  the  fruits  of  sin,  into  the 
means  of  progressive  sanctification  and  eternal  bless- 
edness. The  legal  desert  of  "  the  old  man  "  is  thus 
made  the  moral  discipline  of  "  the  new  creature," — the 
penalty  under  the  ]^a\v  becomes  a  privilege  under  the 
Gospel, — and  those  afflictions,  w  liich  were  awarded  as 
the  "  wages  of  transgression,"  are  converted,  by  the 
scheme  of  redemption,  into  "means  of  grace." 

This  is  beautifully  intimated  in  the  89th  Psalm, 
where,  in  stating  the  terms  of  the  covenant  of  grace, 
God  makes  affliction  tlie  subject  of  a  promise  to  the 
Iledeemer,  as  the  head  of  that  covenant,  and  tlirough 
him  to  his  believing  people : — "  If  his  children  forsake 


MEDITATION  Vll.  117 

my  law,  and  walk  not  in  my  judgments ;  if  they  break 
my  statutes,  and  keep  not  my  commandments ;  then 
will  I  visit  their  tran;?gression  with  the  rod,  and  their 
inicjuity  with  stripes.  Nevertheless  my  loving-kind- 
ness will  I  not  utterly  take  from  him,  nor  suffer  my 
faithfulness  to  fail."  Being  provided  for  in  the  cove- 
nant of  grace,  and  made  the  matter  of  a  promise  to  the 
Redeemer,  these  chastisements  are  to  he  regarded  as 
among  the  privileges  of  God's  people.  It  is  true,  that 
had  they  not  sinned,  they  would  have  been  exempted 
from  suffering ;  and  their  trials  are,  therefore,  in  one 
sense,  the  consequences  of  guilt.  But  it  is  eq^ually 
true,  that  they  are  not  now  awarded  as  the  wages  or 
penal  effects  of  transgression,  hut  subordinated  to  a 
plan  of  mercy,  and  sent  for  purposes  of  good.  They 
come  from  God,  not  as  messengers  of  his  avenging 
wrath,  but  as  tokens  of  his  paternal  love  ;  and  in  send- 
ing them,  he  acts,  not  as  an  offended  judge,  awarding 
punishment,  but  as  a  kind  and  forgiving  father,  met- 
ing out  such  discipline  and  correction  to  his  children 
as  they  severally  require. 

It  does  not  follow  from  these  remarks,  that  every 
one  who  is  visited  with  affliction  is  a  child  of  God,  or 
that,  in  every  instance,  affliction  has  the  effect  of  in- 
stating the  sufferer  in  that  blessed  condition.  Like 
every  other  means,  its  effect  will  depend  on  the  mode 
in  which  it  is  improved  by  the  individual ;  and  hence 
it  is  said  to  produce  "  the  peaceable  fruits  of  righte- 
ousness "  only  in  those  who  are  suitably  "  exercised 
thereby."    Iji  many  cases,  as  in  that  of  Pharaoh,  it  may 


118  MEDITATION  VII. 

be  the  means  of  hardening  the  heart,  and  may  leave  It 
more  insensible  to  every  right  feeling,  and  more  cal- 
lous to  every  sacred  impression  than  before  ;  but  this 
is  no  reason  why  we  should  not  admire  the  benevo- 
lence, as  well  as  the  uisdom  of  God,  in  sending  aflSic- 
tion,  any  more  than  the  neglect  of  the  ordinary  and 
prescribed  means,  on  the  part  of  men,  should  lead  us 
to  question  the  goodness  of  God  in  giving  them  his 
"Word  and  ordinances.  By  these,  God  furnishes  them 
with  an  opportunity  of  improvement  and  a  means  of 
salvation;  and  in  like  manner,  by  affliction,  he  sum- 
mons their  attention  to  divine  things,  and  calls  upoa 
them  to  repent  and  be  saved. 

But  while  these  words  do  not  affirm  that  every  one 
who  is  severely  afflicted  is  a  child  of  God,  they  do,  on 
the  other  hand,  assure  us,  that  no  amount,  and  no  con- 
tinuance of  sorrow,  can  be  a  proof  that  we  are  not 
members  of  his  family ;  and  this  discovery  may  well 
be  regarded  as  a  very  valuable  and  a  very  consoling 
one.  i^or,  when  a  believer  is  visited  w  ith  severe  afflic- 
tion, and  especially  if  his  trials  be  numerous  as  well  as 
severe,  and  if  they  be  continued  in  his  person,  or  in 
his  family,  for  a  great  length  of  time,  while  many 
around  him  are  enjoying  uniiiterru])ted  prosperity,  or 
speedily  relieved  from  slighter  trials,  he  will  be  too 
apt  to  entertain  the  awful  thought,  that  God  would 
not  thus  deal  with  him  if  he  were  really  one  of  his 
children,  and  either  dcspondingly  to  question  his  own 
interest  in  the  divine  favour,  or,  through  the  malig- 
nant suggestions  of  k?atan,  to  cherish  hard  thoughts  of 


MEDITATION  VII.  119 

God.     Many  liave  experienced  this  sore  trial  of  their 
patience  and  faith;  but  let  it  be  impressed  on  our 
hearts,  that  it  is  not  from  the  outward  dispensations  of 
providence,  but  from  the  inward  (qualities  of  our  own 
character,  that  we  are  to  draw  the  evidence  of  our 
state  in  the  sight  of  God, — that  no  pressure  of  afflic- 
tion, however  severe,  and  no  continuance  of  it,  how- 
ever protracted,  can  prove  that  we  are  not  the  objects 
of  God's  fatherly  love,  or  that  we  are  cast  out  of  his 
favour ;  and  that,  although  the  aspect  of  a  frowning 
providence  may  >vell  be  improved  as  a  call  to  vigilant 
self-inspection,  that  we  may  discover  whether  God  has 
any  controversy  with  us,  and  for  what  cause,  we  should 
not,  on  any  occasion,  venture  to  regard  affliction  as  a 
proof  of  reprobacy.     On  the  contrary,  "  whom  the 
Lord  loveth  he  chasteneth,  and  scourgeth  every  son 
•whom  he  receiveth ;"  and  if  our  chastisements  seem 
to  be  more  grievous,  and  more  protracted  than  tliose 
of  others,  we  may  rest  assured,  either  that  our  corrup- 
tions are  so  strong  as  to  require  a  severe  remedy,  or 
that  God  is  thereby  preparing  us  for  some  great  end, 
for  some  fiery  temptation,  or  some  eminent  service  in 
his  Church  on  earth,  or,  perhaps,  for  a  speedy  trans- 
lation to  his  own  presence  in  heaven.     But  whatever 
may  be  the  immediate  reasons  of  his  dealings  with  us, 
let  us  rest  assured,  that  every  affliction  which  he  sends 
on  any  of  his  children  is  the  fruit  of  paternal  love, — < 
that  he  has  a  most  holy,  wise,  and  benevolent  purpose 
in  view, — and  that,  either  here  or  hereafter,  we  shall 
have  reason  to  acknowledge  with  many  who  have  gone 


120  MEDITATION  VIT. 

before  us,  that  "  God  hath  done  all  things  well,"  and 
that  "  in  very  faithfulness  he  hath  afflicted  us." 

"We  are  taught  in  these  words,  not  only  that  divine 
love  is  the  source  from  which  the  afflictions  of  God's 
people  proceed,  but  that  the  end  for  which  they  are 
designed  is  the  gradual  improvement  and  ultimate 
perfection  of  their  moral  character. 

According  to  the  Scriptures,  all  suffering,  under 
God's  administration,  has  a  moral  end.  Were  we  to 
view  affliction  by  itself,  and  without  reference  to  its  re- 
sults, it  would  necessarily  appear  a  very  dark  and  mys- 
terious part  of  divine  providence.  Physical  evil,  apart 
from  its  moral  uses,  cannot  be  an  object  of  pleasing 
contemplation  to  any  rational  being  in  the  universe ; 
but,  in  connection  with  these  uses,  it  may  be  one  of  the 
brightest  manifestations  of  divine  >visdom,  and  one  of 
the  clearest  proofs  of  his  comprehensive  benevolence. 

We  are  not,  indeed,  at  liberty  to  suppose,  that  suffer- 
ing under  the  divine  government  is  nicroly  corrective. 
On  the  contrary,  it  is,  in  the  case  of  the  impenitent, 
judicial,  penal,  and  exemplary,  in  the  strictest  sense  of 
the  terms.  But  even  in  that  case,  although  the  party 
immediately  subject  to  it  be  not  benefited,  yet  the  in- 
fliction of  punishment  on  account  of  sin,  may,  never- 
theless, conduce  to  the  moral  instruction  of  unnumbered 
myriads  of  intelligent  creatures,  and  to  their  confirma- 
tion in  those  habits  of  holy  obedience,  which,  without 
Buch  moral  lessons,  might  be  in  danger  of  being  broken 
by  the  power  of  temptation, — since,  to  the  power  of 
temptation,  we  have  reason  to  beheve,  they  are  exposed 


MEDITATION  VII.  121 

in  common  with  those  wlio  have  already  fallen.  God's 
government  is  conducted  by  means, — to  his  rational 
creatures  he  presents  rational  inducements ;  and,  in 
this  view,  the  final  punishment  of  some  may  be  the 
result  of  the  most  comprehensive  benevolence  to  his 
subjects  at  large,  just  as  the  incarceration,  or  capital 
punishment,  of  a  few  in  this  kingdom,  is  the  means, 
if  not  of  reclaiming  them,  yet  of  impressing  on  the 
minds  of  others  the  great  distinctions  of  morals,  and 
the  obligations  of  social  duty. 

But  here  we  speak  of  affliction  in  reference  to  its 
bearings  on  God's  people ;  and,  in  their  case,  not  only 
IS  there  a  moral  influence  exerted  on  others  by  means 
of  their  afflictions,  but  a  direct  moral  end  contemplated 
in  their  own  blessed  experience.  God  visits  them  with 
affliction,  that  "  by  the  sadness  of  the  countenance  the 
heart  may  be  made  better  ;"  and  just  in  proportion  as 
moral  improvement  and  perfection  are  superior  to  mere 
physical  enjoyment  or  worldly  prosperity,  in  the  same 
proportion  ought  our  gratitude  for  the  benefit  confer- 
red, to  exceed  our  sorrow  for  the  sufi'ering  inflicted. 
To  a  mind  which  is  sensible  wherein  the  true  nobility 
and  happiness  of  its  nature  consist,  there  can  be  no 
difficulty  in  perceiving,  that  whatsoever  tends  to 
subdue  unruly  passion,  or  to  implant,  invigorate,  and 
cherish  the  higher  principles  and  afi^ections  of  the  soul, 
should  be  valued  in  proportion  to  the  greatness  of  its 
design,  however  painful  it  may  be  in  itself.  And  if 
the  nauseous  draught  be  received  with  eagerness,  when 
the  restoration  of  bodily  health  is  expected  from  it,  how 

B 


122  MEDITATION  VII. 

much  more  sliould  y\c  he  wilfing  to  taste  of  that  cup 
of  sorrow,  however  bitter,  hy  which  our  immortal 
spirits  are  to  he  restored  to  a  state  of  moral  hcalth- 
fulness  and  vijrour  ? 

That  the  general  design  of  all  the  afflictions  with 
which  any  of  God's  people  are  visited  in  the  present 
state,  is  their  progressive  sanctification  and  final  per- 
fection, is  evident  from  the  whole  scope  and  tenor  of 
Scripture,  wherein  tlie  necessity  and  usefulness  of 
affliction,  for  this  end,  are  frequently  stated  in  very 
emphatic  terms,  and  illustrated  by  apposite  examples  : 
"  This  is  the  will  of  God  concerning  you,"  saj-s  the 
apostle,  "even  your  sanctification  ;"  and  this  being 
the  grand  object  of  God's  design  in  Scripture,  is  also 
the  end  of  all  his  dealings  in  providence.  It  is  not 
only  said,  "  that  affliction  yieldeth  the  peaceable  fruit 
of  righteousness,"  but  that  "  God  chastens  us  not  for 
his  pleasure,  but  for  our  profit,  that  we  might  be  par- 
takers nfhis  holiness."  That  this  is  the  design  of  all 
the  afflictions  with  which  we  are  visited,  may  well 
serve  to  reconcile  us  to  them,  even  when  they  are 
most  frequent-  and  most  severe.  For  to  a  mind  that 
is  sensible  of  its  own  high  capacity,  and  of  its  best  in- 
terests, what  object  can  appear  so  truly  great  or  desir- 
able as  this, — a  progressive  and  ultimately  a  perfect 
conformity,  through  the  sanctification  of  its  powers, 
to  the  very  image  and  character  of  God  ?  That  man 
is  capable  of  such  a  resemblance,  is  the  very  highest 
proof  of  his  dignity  as  a  rational  and  moral  being. 
That  God  designs  such  a  resemblance,  is  the  noblest 


MEDITATION  VII.  123 

proof  of  Ills  affection ;  for  what  higher  gift  could  he 
hestow  than  a  character  similar  to  his  own?  And  that 
affliction  Is  one  of  the  means  by  which  this  boon  is  to 
he  bestowed,  and  this  resemblance  Improved  and  per- 
fected, Is  one  of  the  most  precious  truths  of  Scripture, 
and  the  very  sweetest  consolation  of  sorrow.  "Were 
we  sensible  of  the  infinite  capacity's  for  Improvement 
and  happiness  which  such  a  design,  on  the  part  of 
God,  necessarily  implies  on  the  part  of  man;  were  we 
duly  Impressed  with  the  consideration,  that  the  nobi- 
lity of  our  nature  consists  in  our  capacity  of  knowing 
God,  and  being  like  to  him  ;  that  the  misery  and  de- 
gradation of  our  present  estate,  flow  from  our  Ignorance 
of  God,  and  the  dissimilarity  of  our  thoughts  and 
feelings  to  those  of  the  Divine  mind ;  that  our  only 
prospect  of  being  restored  either  to  honour  or  happi- 
ness, depends  on  our  being  restored,  in  some  measure, 
to  a  state  of  conformity  to  the  will  and  likeness  of 
God ;  and  that,  for  this  high  and  lofty  end,  affliction 
is  employed  as  a  means  by  which,  if  duly  improved, 
that  end  may  be  attained  In  some  measure  on  earth, 
and  enjoyed  perfectly  and  eternally  in  heaven  ; — oh  ! 
what  heart  would  then  murmur  or  complain,  because 
of  the  strokes  by  which  the  rock  Is  beaten  Into  a  con- 
formity with  God's  Image ;  or  because  of  the  fire  of 
that  furnace,  by  which  the  dross  of  our  nature  is 
separated  from  the  pure  and  precious  ore,  and  out  of 
which  we  are  to  come  as  "  gold  seven  times  purified, 
—vessels  of  honour,  fitted  for  the  Master's  use  ?" 
That  affliction  Is  a  meansJlUed  to  this  end,  might 


124  MEDITATION  VII. 

be  inferred  from  the  fact,  that  it  is  employed  as  such 
by  a  God  of  unerring  wisdom,  >vho  knows  our  frame 
and  all  the  influences  by  which  it  can  be  affected,  for 
good  or  for  evil.  But  we  are  not  left  to  conceive  of  it 
as  an  arbitrary  appointment,  betwixt  which  and  its 
end,  no  natural  adaptation  can  be  traced.  It  is  not  only 
a  sovereign,  but  a  suitable  remedy,  and  adapted,  in 
many  respects,  to  the  evil  which  it  is  designed  to  cure. 
The  evil  of  our  present  condition  consists  mainly  in 
our  affections  being  estranged  from  God  and  given  to 
the  creature ;  in  our  tendency  to  "  forsake  the  foun- 
tain of  living  waters,  and  to  hew  out  for  ourselves  in 
the  world,  cisterns,  broken  cisterns,  which  can  hold  no 
water."  The  connection  betwixt  alienation  from  God 
and  attachment  to  the  creature,  is  so  intimate  and  sure, 
that  the  one  is  inseparable  from  the  other ;  it  being  a 
law  of  our  nature,  that  our  affections  and  desires  must 
have  some  object  on  which  they  fix  their  regards,  and 
from  which  they  draw,  or  expect,  their  gratification  ; 
and  if  they  be  once  estranged  from  God,  their  proper 
object,  they  will  infallibly  fix  on  some  one  or  more 
objects  in  the  world.  Nor  is  their  attachment  to  these 
objects,  when  once  formed,  capable  of  being  easily 
broken.  If  they  are  attached  to  wealth,  they  cling  to 
it  with  the  tenacity  of  avarice  ;  if  to  sensual  indulgence, 
with  the  blind  infatuation  of  passion  ;  if  to  power,  with 
the  recklessness  of  ambition ;  insomuch,  that  so  long 
as  these  objects  are  within  their  grasp,  or  capable  of 
being  either  enjoyed  or  hoped  for,  they  will  effectually 
fill  and  occupy  the  whole  mind,  ;md  exclude  God  and 


MEDITATION  TIT.  125 

all  spiritual  tilings.     Now,  God's  metliod  of  breaking 
up  this  unhallowed  and  degrading  attachment  betwixt 
a  rational  and  Immortal  creature,  and  the  lying  vanities 
of  the  world,  is  by  either  removing  the  favourite  ob- 
ject from  his  reach,  or  smiting  it  with  a  curse,  or  visit- 
ing him  with  sickness,  which  spoils  his  relish  for  it;  in 
one  way  or  other,  God  shatters  his  favourite  cistern,  so 
as  that  he  shall  find  it  to  be  "  a  broken  cistern,  which 
can  hold  no  water."  Were  this  done,  after  all  his  fond 
dreams  of  happiness,  and  his  earnest  endeavours  for  its 
attainment,  with  no  other  view  than  to  disappoint  his 
hopes  and  blast  his  efforts,  we  might  pity  the  fate  of 
man,  and  wonder  at  the  dispensations  of  God ;  but 
when  it  is  done  with  the  view  of  severing  his  affections 
from  objects  which  are  unworthy  of  them,  and  which, 
even  were  they  attained,  could  not  satisfy  or  fill  the 
desires  of  an  immortal  spirit ;  and,  above  all,  with  the 
view  of  raising  his  thoughts  and  afi'ectlons  to  God  him- 
self, as  his  chief  good  and  satisfying  portion,  we  cannot 
fail  at  once  to  see  the  benevolence  which  prompts  God 
to  interpose,  and  the  wisdom  of  the  means  by  which  he 
endeavours  to  raise  man  to  his  true  happiness,  by  the 
overthrow  of  his  dearest  earthly  delusions,  and  the  dis- 
appointment of  his  fondest  earthly  hopes. 

Thus,  a  man  who,  forgetting  his  immortal  prospects, 
debases  his  nature  by  making  himself  the  slave  of  ava- 
rice ;  whose  earliest  thoughts  and  whose  latest  cares 
are  engrossed  with  money ;  who  thinks  of  nothing, 
speaks  of  nothing,  cares  for  nothing,  and  does  nothing, 
without  a  reference  to  the  accumulation  of  a  fortune; 

11* 


12(r  MEDITATION  VII. 

who,  for  this,  lives  the  life  of  a  slave,  and  stirs  not  from 
his  place  of  business,  and  plies  the  oar  of  trade  "  from 
shining  mom  to  dewy  eve ;" — on  such  a  man,  what 
could  have  so  powerful  an  effect  as  the  total  ruin  of  his 
fortune,  and  the  scattering  of  his  gains  ?  Cruel,  indeed, 
would  such  an  issue  be  to  all  his  anxious  thoughts, 
and  prudent  plans,  and  industrious  habits,  and  bold 
enterprises,  had  he  no  other  than  an  earthly  prospect ; 
but  God  designs  that  man  for  eternity, — he  offers  him 
a  portion  in  heaven, — money  stands  between  him  and 
that  prospect ;  and  God  dashes  the  cup  of  prosperity 
from  his  trembling  hand,  that  it  may  not  drown  his 
soul  in  everlasting  perdition.  And  is  not  this  a  benevo- 
lent deed  ?  Is  it  not  dictated  by  the  highest  wisdom,  as 
the  very  discipline  which  is  most  necessary,  and  will  be 
most  effectual  in  such  a  case  ? 

Again,  a  man  who,  losing  all  relish  for  the  sweets  of 
divine  contemplation,  and  the  exercise  of  his  moral 
affections,  gives  himself  over  to  the  indulgence  of  his 
sensual  appetites,  who  finds  his  highest  happiness  in 
the  gratification  of  his  palate,  or  the  excitement  of 
intemperance,  or  the  habits  of  profligacy, — on  such  a 
man,  what  would  have  so  powerful  an  effect  ns  the 
total  ruin  of  his  health,  and  the  visitation  of  an  illness 
which  left  him  neither  the  capacity  nor  the  wish  for  his 
favourite  indulgences  ?  God  designs  that  man,  also, 
for  eternity  ;  but  he  lingers  around  the  cisterns  of 
worldly  pleasure,  in  the  fond  hope  of  realizing  a  hap- 
piness which  he  has  long  waited  for  in  vain  :  God 
shatters  the  cistern,  and  dashes  the  cup  of  pleasure  out 


MEDITATION  VII.  127 

of  his  reluctant  hand,  that  he  may  no  longer  deceire 
himself  with  the  vain  hope,  hut  seek  to  the  fountain 
of  living  waters  which  springeth  up  unto  everlasting 
life.  And  is  not  this,  also,  a  benevolent  deed, — how- 
ever painful  may  he  the  present  disappointment,  and 
however  protracted  the  suffering  which  it  occasions, 
is  it  not  dictated  by  the  highest  wisdom,  as  the  very 
discipline  which  is  most  necessary,  and  will  be  most 
effectual  in  such  a  case  ? 

Again,  a  man  of  ardent  affections  has  allowed  his 
heart  to  be  estranged  from  God,  by  an  undue  attach- 
ment to  his  ^^dfe,  or  children,  or  other  relatives  and 
friends.  Amiable  as  his  kindness  to  them  appears,  yet, 
if  they  engross  that  place  in  his  affection  which  is  due 
to  God  only,  his  heart  is  not  in  a  right  moral  state, 
and  his  happiness  is  based  on  a  precarious  foundation. 
God  takes  away  the  desire  of  his  eyes  by  a  stroke ;  he 
is  stunned  by  the  shock  of  bereavement ;  but,  perhaps, 
even  this  is  not  enough ;  his  affections  thus  violently 
severed  from  one  object,  may  only  gather  into  greater 
strength,  and  settle  on  another ;  that  other  is  also 
smitten  and  dies ;  and  it  is  not  till,  by  such  strokes,  he 
is  impressed  with  the  vanity  of  every  thing,  save  the 
enjoyment  of  God  as  his  chief  good,  that  the  afflicting 
hand  of  providence  shall  be  withdrawn  from  him  and 
his  house.  Painful,  indeed,  is  the  breaking  up  of  a 
family  by  bereavement,  when  death  smites  one,  and 
then  another,  of  the  happy  household ;  and  desolate, 
indeed,  is  the  heart  of  him  who  is  thus  left  alone  in 
a  wilderness  where  roses  had  encircled  his  path ;  but 


128  MEDITATION  VII. 

they  stood  betwixt  him  and  God,  and  it  was  in  mercy 
and  faithfulness  that  God  sent  a  worm  into  his  gourd, 
till  it  withered  around  him  and  died. 

These  illustrations  may  serve  to  show,  at  once,  the 
goodness  and  the  wisdom  of  God  in  sending  affliction, 
and  adapting  the  methods  of  his  discipline  to  the 
necessities  of  his  people  ;  and  they  cannot  fail  to  recall 
to  the  minds  of  some,  the  recollection  of  many  incidents 
in  their  past  life,  which  were  felt  to  be  very  painful, 
and  seemed  very  dark  and  mysterious  at  the  time  of 
their  occurrence,  but  to  which  they  can  now  look  back 
as  the  very  brightest  manifestation  of  the  care  and 
kindness  of  their  Redeemer.  They  may  remember  a 
time  when  the  wealth,  or  pleasures,  or  business  of  the 
world  appeared  to  them  robed  in  attractions  to  which 
they  were  too  willing  to  yield,  and  threatened  to 
engross  the  chief  place  in  those  affections  which  God 
challenges  as  his  own.  They  may  remember  some  one 
object,  which,  more  than  any  other,  engaged  their  eager 
pursuit,  and  awakened  their  deepest  interest ;  and  that, 
for  this,  they  were  on  the  very  verge  of  committing 
themselves  to  a  course  of  life,  which,  if  prosecuted  with 
the  ardour  with  which  they  were  about  to  enter  on  it, 
would  have  long  ere  now  estranged  them  altogether 
from  God,  and  ultimately  conducted  them  to  perdition. 
But,  just  as  their  aflfcctions  were  gathering  around  it, 
and  just  as  they  were  stretching  forth  their  hand  to 
seize  it,  that  cup  of  pleasure,  or  power,  or  prosperity, 
was  dashed  in  pieces,  and  as  they  wept  over  its  broken 
fragments,  they  were  taught  a  lesson  which  they  were 


MEDITATION  VII.  129 

very  loatli  to  learn,  even  that  the  creature  is  too  frail 
and  perishing  to  satisfy  an  immortal  soul,  and  that 
God  would  not  permit  them  to  seek  their  happiness 
in  what  was  unworthy  of  their  nature.  If,  hy  these 
means,  they  were  first  awakened  to  a  perception  of 
the  vanity  of  the  world,  and  of  the  infinite  magnitude 
and  importance  of  divine  things;  if  their  afflictions 
were  so  sanctified  as  to  hecome  the  means,  in  the  hand 
of  God,  of  their  conversion^  then,  sure  I  am,  that 
they  cannot  fail  to  look  hack  on  the  most  painful  of 
them  all,  not  only  without  one  sentiment  of  rebellious 
regret,  hut  with  the  deepest  emotions  of  gratitude  and 
of  admiration ;  and  they  will  never  cease  to  regard  the 
discipline  of  affliction  as  one  of  the  most  powerful 
instruments  of  good  in  the  hands  of  the  Redeemer, 
and  one  of  the  most  precious  privileges  of  his  people. 
For  is  it  conceivable  that  it  should  be  otherwise,  if, 
by  these  means,  they  have  really  "had  their  eyes 
opened,  and  have  been  turned  from  darkness  to  light, 
and  from  the  power  of  Satan  unto  the  living  God?" 
"With  the  views  which  were  then,  for  the  first  time, 
opened  up  to  them  of  the  transcendent  truths  of 
religion,  and  which,  if  they  be  really  converted,  they 
must  still  cherish  with  the  fondest  attachment,  they  can 
look  back  on  affliction,  and  see  it  in  a  new  and  most 
interesting  light, — even  as  a  very  thick  dark  cloud, 
but  a  cloud,  nevertheless,  which  has  showered  down 
upon  them  the  most  precious  blessings,  and  has  shed 
over  their  souls  the  freshness  and  fertility  of  "  a  well 
watered  garden,  which  the  Lord  hath  blessed  " 


130  MEDITATION  VII. 

In  their  subsequent  history,  too,  they  may  remem- 
ber, that  just  as  often  as  their  affections  were  about  to 
return  to  the  world,  when  they  had  begun  to  backslide 
from  God,  or  were  in  danger  of  doing  so,  just  so  often 
did  God  interpose,  by  a  new  stroke  of  affliction,  where- 
by they  were  admonished  of  their  danger,  and  pre- 
vented from  ruin.  They  may  remember  many  seasons, 
when  the  impressions  of  religion  were  almost  effaced 
from  their  minds,  and  when  "  the  lusts  of  the  flesh, 
the  lust  of  the  eye,  and  the  pride  of  life,"  were  making 
gradual  but  sure  encroachments  on  the  sovereignty  of 
that  divine  principle  by  which  they  professed  to  be 
animated  ;  and  when,  although  they  still  retained  the 
belief  of  immortality,  their  hearts  were  beginning  to 
settle  dovMi  into  a  contented  enjoyment  of  the  world, 
and  little,  if  at  all,  animated  by  the  heavenly  hopes 
of  the  Gospel.  In  these  circumstances,  it  was  needful 
for  their  correction,  and  progress,  and  comfort,  that 
God  should  take  them  into  his  own  hands,  and 
administer  such  rebukes  and  chastisements  as  mijxht 
wean  their  affections  from  the  world,  and  bring  them 
back  to  himself;  and,  in  such  cases,  if  they  will 
consider  the  matter  attentively,  they  will  find,  that 
the  affliction  with  which  they  were  visited,  was  the 
very  likeliest  and  fittest  means  of  accomplishing  his 
gracious  design.  And  what  gratitude  should  they 
cherish  towards  God, — what  profound  admiration  of 
his  wisdom, — what  unshaken  confidence  in  his  faith- 
fulness, when  they  reflect,  that  at  such  seasons,  and  in 
such  circumstances,  his  thoughts  towards  them  were 


MEDITATION  VII.  131 

thoughts  of  love  ?  That  when  they  were  doing  what 
they  could  to  provoke  him,  by  manifesting  a  preference 
for  the  creature,  and  when  they  had  fallen  from  their 
first  love,  he  did  not,  and  would  not  let  them  forsake 
him  ;  that,  although  willing  to  live  at  a  distance  from 
him,  he  was  determined  to  bring  them  near ;  and, 
that  when,  if  they  had  been  Jeft  to  themselves,  they 
would  have  gone  on  in  a  course  of  declension  and  dis- 
comfort, he  did,  in  confirmation  of  his  holy  promise, 
chasten  them,  "■  that  they  might  not  be  condemned 
with  the  world  ?"  And  if,  at  such  seasons,  the  religion, 
which  had  long  lain  dormant  in  their  bosoms,  and 
seemed  ready  to  die,  was  revived  and  invigorated,  and 
enabled  them  to  bear  up  under  the  shock  of  bereave- 
ment, oh  !  how  should  they  rejoice  and  be  thankful, 
that  the  liiiht  of  religion  was  made  to  dawn  on  their 
hearts,  and  that  the  thick  dark  cloud  was  sent  to 
turn  their  eye  again  to  that  light,  shining  amidst  the 
storm,  as  the  bow  of  peace  and  the  pledge  of  safety  ? 

If  the  believer  has  thus  experienced,  even  on  earth, 
the  blessed  effects  of  affliction,  he  will  the  more  easily 
comprehend  the  import,  and  believe  the  truth,  of  those 
statements  in  Scripture,  which  refer  to  its  ultimate 
issue  and  effect,  in  a  future  world  of  perfect  holiness 
and  peace.  Here,  the  benefits  of  affliction,  however 
valuable  in  themselves,  are  only  partially  enjoyed,  by 
reason  of  the  opposition  which  every  holy  influence 
meets  with,  from  the  remaining  depravity  of  his  heart, 
and  other  influences  of  a  contrary  nature  to  which  he 
is  exposed,  from  the  contagion  of  a  world  that  lieth  in 


132  MEDITATION  VII. 

wickedness.  The  iron  may  be  taken  from  a  furnace 
heated  seven  times,  and  beaten  with  many  strokes, 
but  it  contains  within  itself  much  dross,  which  pre- 
vents the  pure  ore  from  being  fashioned  as  it  ought, 
and  there  plays  upon  it  a  cold  current  which  hardens 
it,  even  while  it  is  subjected  to  the  artist's  stroke. 
But  there,  all  dross  having  been  removed,  and  all 
unfriendly  influences  excluded,  it  shall  be  presented 
pure  and  spotless,  and  remain  so  for  ever.  It  is  in 
heaven  alone  that  the  full  benefit  of  earthly  afflictions 
shall  be  known  and  enjoyed.  And  what  can  reconcile 
us  to  the  discipline  of  affliction,  if  this  reflection  will 
not,  that  it  will  terminate  in  a  state  of  perfect  holiness 
and  peace ;  and  that,  meanwhile,  it  is  preparing  ua 
for  that  blessed  consummation  ? 

It  will  terminate  :  the  period  is  not  far  distant  when 
all  our  sorrows  and  privations  shall  come  to  an  end, 
when  death  shall  bring  us  to  that  house  where  "  the 
wicked  cease  from  troubling,  and  the  weary  are  at 
rest ;"  and  when  once  the  grave  "  has  opened  its 
peaceful  bosom  to  receive  us,  "*  the  world,  with  all  its 
changes  and  sorrows,  can  affect  our  comfort  no  more. 
The  storm  may  rage  above  us,  and  the  whirlwind 
sweep  the  solitary  churchyard  ;  the  din  of  civil  tumult 
may  arise  in  the  streets;  the  war-cry  may  be  raised, 
and  the  shock  of  battle  succeed  ;  the  voice  of  famine 
may  wail  around  us ;  yet  no  note  disturbs  the  peace- 
ful slumbers  of  the  dead !  But  affliction  will  not 
terminate  merely  in  the  stillness  of  the  tomb  ;  it  >vill 
•  Db  Andrew  Thomsox. 


MEDITATION  VIL  133 

be  succeeded  by  the  bliss  of  heaven,  for  whicli  it  is 
even  now  preparing  us,  and  where,  finally  and  for 
ever,  "the  broken  heart  shall  be  bound  up;  the 
mourner  comforted;  beauty  shall  be  appointed  for 
ashes,  and  the  garment  of  praise  for  the  spirit  of 
heaviness;"  "and  God  himself  shall  wipe  away  all 
tears  from  our  eyes." 

13 


MEDITATION  VIII. 

Ps.  cxix.  50.—"  This  is  my  comfort  in  mine  affliction  : " 

«  Fear  not ; "  « I  am  he  that  lircth,  and  was  dead ;  and,  behdd, 
I  am  allrefor  evermore,  Amen  ;  and  have  the  her/s  of  hell 
and  of  (ieak."— Rev.  V.  17,  18. 

The  Bible  affords  a  solid  ground  of  comfort,  by  the 
cheering  light  Avhich  it  throws  over  the  valley  of  death, 
and,  across  that  dark  valley,  on  the  fields  of  immorta- 
lity beyond  it. 

To  every  thoughtful  mind,  death  and  the  grave  will 
suggest  many  serious  reflections, — reflections  which 
must  ever  be  of  a  pensive  nature,  and  which,  but  for 
the  cheering  intelligence  conveyed  by  the  Gospel,  might 
even  induce  a  feeling  of  despair.  Look  to  the  death- 
bed of  man;  and  what  do  you  behold  ?  An  intelligent 
creature,  in  the  spring  of  life,  when  hope  is  brightest, 
or  in  the  prime  of  manhood,  when  activity  is  great- 
est,— or  in  the  maturity  of  age,  when  the  fruit  of  a 
long  experience  was  ripening  for  usefulness,  laid  pros- 
trate by  the  derangement  of  some  organ  or  function  of 


MEDITATION  VIII.  135 

his  material  frame ;  deprived  at  once,  and  for  ever,  of 
all  that  hope  had  anticipated,  or  activity  pursued,  or 
experience  gathered,  and  given  over  a  captive  to  death, 
and  a  prisoner  to  the  grave ! 

Look  to  the  grave;  and  what  do  you  behold? 
Multitudes  which  no  man  can  number,  of  human 
bodies,  once  as  vigorous  and  active  as  our  own,  buried 
in  deep  forgetfulness,  and  a  prey  to  corruption  and 
the  worm, — nothing  remaining  to  attest  their  previ- 
ous existence  save  a  few  bones  beneath,  and,  perhaps, 
some  fading  epitaph  above !  Go  into  every  land,  the 
same  scene  appears, — ^however  different  in  climate  and 
scenery,  however  dissimilar  in  their  institutions  and 
customs,  in  this,  all  regions  are  the  same, — every  land 
is  the  sepulchre  of  the  dead.  When  musing  on  the 
earth  as  the  vast  emporium  of  the  dead,  who  does  not 
feel  that  the  grave  is  a  melancholy  scene,  and  yet  a 
scene  in  which  more  than  in  any  other  he  is  personally 
interested,  since  it  contains  a  large  portion  of  his  dear- 
est kindred,  and  will  soon  receive  into  its  bosom  his 
own  mortal  remains  ?  Dark,  indeed,  would  be  the 
end  of  man,  were  the  grave  his  final  resting-place ! 
and  over  the  wreck  of  the  human  family,  we  might 
have  wept  with  unavailing  anguish,  had  we  not  known 
and  heard  the  Saviour's  voice, — "  I  am  the  resurrection 
and  the  life ;  if  any  man  believeth  in  me,  though  he 
were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live  again." 

The  Bible  gives  us  some  consoling  views  of  this 
melancholy  theme,  in  connection  with  that  grand  and 
universal  scheme  of  grace,  which  gilds  with  the  rays  of 


136  MEDITATION  VIH. 

peace  and  hope  even  the  gloomiest  prospects  of  man. 
It  represents  death  and  the  grave,  and  the  region  of 
separate  spirits,  as  being  under  the  jurisdiction  and 
superintendence  of  the  same  divine  person,  who,  as  the 
Redeemer  of  men,  exercises  a  sovereign  dominion  over 
all  the  events  of  the  present  world.  Time,  with  its 
events,  eternity,  with  its  awful  issues,  and  death,  the 
passage  which  leads  from  the  one  into  the  other,  are 
all  equally  under  his  control ;  so  that,  into  whatever 
state  of  untried  existence  any  of  his  people  may  be 
brought,  they  cannot,  by  any  change  In  their  circum- 
stances, be  placed  beyond  the  bounds  of  his  jurisdiction, 
or  the  reach  of  his  guardian  care.  Death,  which  severs 
them  from  every  other  connection,  and  the  grave, 
•which  shuts  them  up  from  all  other  help,  cannot 
separate  them  from  his  love,  nor  exclude  them  from 
his  watchful  eye ;  for  he  presides  over  death  not  less 
than  over  life, — to  him  the  sepulchres  of  the  dead  are 
as  accessible  as  the  abodes  of  the  living  ;  and  go  where 
they  may,  after  death  he  meets  with  them,  and  cares 
for  them  in  the  state  of  disembodied  spirits,  and  will 
ultimately  bring  them  into  the  general  assembly  of  the 
just  In  heaven.  Both  worlds  are  equally  sul  ject  to  his 
authority,  and  the  dark  pathway  betwixt  the  one  and 
the  other  is  also  under  his  special  care ;  so  that, 
whether  we  live  in  the  body,  it  is  because  he  sustains 
lis,  or  whether  we  die,  it  is  because  he  summons  us,  or 
whether  we  enter  into  the  Invisible  world,  it  Is  because 
he  admits  us ;  and  every  where,  and  at  all  times,  on 
earth,  or  in  the  grave,  or  in  the  separate  state,  we  are 


MEDITATION  VIII.  137 

equally  under  the  protection  of  One  wLo,  possessed  of 
infinite  power,  unerring  wisdom,  and  unquenchable 
love,  will  order  all  things  that  concern  us,  so  as  to 
fulfil  his  own  gracious  purpose  in  dying  for  our  re- 
demption, and  to  promote  our  present  progress  and  our 
eternal  perfection  in  holiness  and  peace. 

These  views  are  strikingly  presented  in  the  suh- 
lime  exordium  to  the  hook  of  the  Apocalypse,  where, 
appearing  to  the  heloved  disciple  in  the  august,  yet 
amiable  character  of  God-man,  the  Redeemer  declares, 
"  I  am  he  that  liveth,  and  was  dead ;  and,  behold,  I 
am  alive  for  evermore.  Amen ;  and  have  the  keys  of 
hell  and  of  death."  Every  clause  of  this  sublime 
declaration,  coming  as  it  does  from  our  glorified  Re- 
deemer, is  pregnant  with  assurance  and  consolation  to 
his  believing  people,  and  is  specially  fitted  to  banish 
those  fearful  and  anxious  forebodings  which  oppress 
their  minds  In  the  prospect  of  dissolution. 

"  /  am  he  that  liveth''  or  rather,  "  I  am  the 
LIVING  ONE,"  the  first  and  the  last,  Avithout  beginning 
of  days  or  end  of  years,  self-existent,  and  therefore, 
independent  of  every  outward  condition,  and  incapable 
of  change.  He  asserts  his  supreme  divinity  as  a 
reason  why  his  disciples  should  "  not  fear ; "  and, 
surely,  to  every  Christian  mind,  the  fact,  that  the  Sou 
of  Man,  in  whom  they  have  trusted  as  their  Saviour, 
is  "  the  Living  One,"  may  well  furnish  a  groimd  of 
unshaken  confidence,  since  it  assures  us,  that,  happen 
what  may,  our  trust  is  reposed  on  one,  whose  existence, 

I 


138  MEDITATION  VIII. 

and  whose  power  to  affect  our  welfare,  cannot  be 
destroyed  by  any  event  whatever,  and  that  our  interests 
for  eternity  are  absolutely  safe,  being  placed  in  his 
hands. 

But  how  much  greater  ought  to  be  our  confidence 
in  him,  and  how  much  sweeter  the  consolation  which 
his  words  impart,  when  he  adds,  "  I  was  dead."  He 
appears  to  the  apostle  not  simply  as  "  the  Living  One," 
the  self-existent  Son  of  God,  but  as  God  manifested 
in  the  flesh,  the  Son  of  God  in  human  nature,  and  even 
in  his  glorified  state,  "  like  unto  the  Son  of  Man," 
whom  the  beloved  disciple  had  ofttimeo  seen  and 
followed  as  the  "  man  of  sorrows,  and  acquainted  with 
grief."  Let  us  attempt  to  conceive  of  the  feelings  with 
which  the  beloved  disciple  must  have  looked  on  his 
glorified  Master ;  let  us  remember  that  he  had  com- 
panied  with  him  on  earth,  that  he  had  leaned  upon  his 
bosom,  and  that  he  knew  the  sad  history  of  his  cruci- 
fixion, and  we  cannot  fail  to  perceive  how  the  mere 
fact,  that  the  same  divine  Redeemer  now  stood  before 
him,  and  spoke  with  him  of  the  decease  which  he  had 
accomplished  at  Jerusalem,  must  have  served  to  anni- 
hilate in  the  mind  of  the  apostle  the  fear  of  death,  and 
to  open  up  to  his  view  such  a  glorious  prospect  into 
the  invisible  world,  as  would  strip  the  pathway  that 
led  to  heaven  of  its  terrors,  however  diu:k  and  dismal 
it  might  otherwise  be. 

And  to  every  Christian,  the  words  of  our  Lord, — 
**  I  was  dead,"  will  suggest  reflections  that  should  serve 


MEDITATION  VIII.  139 

to  fortify  tlie  mind  against  the  fear  of  dissolution ;  or, 
at  all  events,  to  rebuke  and  mitigate  the  aversion  with 
which  it  is  usually  contemplated. 

Did  the  Redeemer  die, — a  Being  who  claims  to 
himself  the  dignity  of  "  the  Living  One," — a  Being  not 
only  of  infinite  dignity,  but  of  spotless  purity,  and  who, 
from  the  beginning  till  the  end  of  his  existence  on 
earth,  was  the  object  of  God's  supreme  complacency 
and  approbation  ?  And  shall  we  complain  that  death 
is  allotted  as  our  portion  also  ?  we^  who,  as  created 
beings,  are  insignificant, — by  inheritance,  mortal, — by 
actual  guilt,  polluted  and  debased  ?  To  us,  death  comes 
as  wages  earned  by  guilt ;  but  even  w^ere  it  otherwise, 
— did  death  come  to  us  as  an  accident  of  our  being, 
how  should  we  complain  of  the  hardness  of  our  lot, 
"Vrhen  Christ  himself  declares,  "  I  was  dead  ? " 

Did  the  Redeemer  die, — he  in  whose  sympathy  and 
care  we  are  commanded  to  confide,  and  to  whom  we 
are  taught  to  look,  in  every  hour  of  danger  or  distress, 
for  needful  succour  and  consolation  ?  And  is  it  no 
encouragement  to  reflect,  that  he,  into  whose  hands  we 
commit  our  case,  when  in  the  extremity  of  mortal 
agony,  and  when  vain  is  the  help  of  man,  has  himself 
drank  the  cup  before  us  and  felt  its  bitterness, — that 
every  inch  of  that  dark  valley  was  trod  by  him,  and 
that,  from  his  own  experience,  he  knows  what  strength 
and  succour  we  need  in  that  dreadful  hour  ? 

Did  the  Redeemer  die, — as  the  surety  and  repre- 
sentative of  sinners ;  was  his  death  a  solemn  expiation 
ef  our  guilt,  and  an  ade(juate  satisfaction  to  God  for 


]  40  MEDITATION  Tin. 

the  jtcnalty  which  ^v(:  had  mcuncA  ?  Ig  thfro,  no  rf»a- 
son,  then,  to  »uj»po<i^?,  that  ♦iying,  an  he  <]id,  in  the  room 
and  on  behalf  of  the  guiltj,  death  met  him  in  a  more 
forrnirlahle  »hapf-,  and  put  Into  his  hands  a  hitter'^'r  cnp 
than  can  now  fall  to  the  lot  of  any  of  hin  people  ;  and 
that  their  dissolution  will  he  ^Kttlj  h;«s  tfrrriT>le  than 
it  would  hare  been  hy  reaHf/n  fff  his  endurinfj  in  their 
room  the  hearlrrst  part  of  it  ?  For  what  is  it  that 
mainly  ernhitt^TS  drrath,  and  tnirroMTtAH  it,  errn  when 
riewed  at  a  distance,  with  innumerahle  terrors?  \ot 
forely  the  mnt  pain  with  which  it  in  aceomf»anied, — 
for  equ;il  r/r  gr^rater  pain  we  hare  often  enfhircf] — not 
the  mere  disv^lution  of  the  tie  hetwixt  «/»ij1  and  Wly, 
— for  if  that  were  all,  howevrrr  our  »en«Itire  nature 
might  hhrink  from  the  shock,  fmr  rational  natnre  might 
enable  un  to  regard  it  with  comprnnire, — not  the  rnt^d 
•Cparation  fr'/rn  the  nrxntty  and  businriw  of  the  preiwnt 
"world, — for  that,  Jjowever  it  rnav  awak^Ti  a  fr-rllnr'  of 

7  7  ^  r^ 

melancholy  regret,  e;in  harrlly  account  f"T  the  forc- 
lx>dings  and  terron  of  which  rTery  mind  in  more  ftr 
\tm  cfmunfmn  wh^m  it  con t/rrn platen  drr;ith,  \o ;  it  if 
something  more  than  the  nure  pain  of  dving,  or  the 
imrre  dinv^lrlng  of  the  elenl^ntl^  of  our  being,  or  the 
mere  MrpJiration  from  this  world,  that  ^rmbitters  the 
cop  of  death,  "The  "ling  fjf  d^-ath  i»  Wn," — the 
tame  »in  which  gare  iw  over  an  a  prey  to  death,  JuuUfrn 
tM  alv*  slaren  to  the  fear  of  dr-Jith  ;  for,  by  the  unrary- 
ing  law  of  con»ci<frJce,  iiin  and  f<-Jtr  are  l></und  up  tfh- 
gfi^er ;  and  it  b  a  c/mAcierice  burdened  with  guilt,  and 
appreheuAire  of  punuihroent,  which,  in  our  oaie,  arrayt 


MF.mTATION  VIIT.  141 

death  with  terrors  unkiunvn  to  the  inferior  and  irre- 
sponsibk'  creiitiou.  But  Christ  died  to  expiate  and 
cancel  the  guilt  of  his  people  ;  he  has  alrea^ly  endured, 
and  h\  enduring,  has  taken  away  the  penalty  of  their 
tnuisgression  ;  death  renuuns,  hut  its  sting  is  taken 
a>niy;  so  that  Nve  n\ay  "thank  Goil,  uho  hath  given 
us  the  victory  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord,"  and 
may  exclaim  with  the  apostle,  '*  Oh  !  death  where  is 
now  thy  sting, — Oh  !  grave,  where  is  thy  victory  ?** 

Did  the  Redeemer  die, — that  lie  might  show  us  an 
example  of  sutVering  atlllction  with  patience,  {Uid  he  to 
us  a  pattern  of  faith  and  hope  in  our  last  extremity  ? 
And  is  there  no  consolation  in  the  thought,  that  when 
we  reach  the  shore  of  that  dark  water  which  divides 
time  and  eternity,  we  can  fix  our  eve  on  one  who,  for 
our  sakes,  crossed  it  in  triuntph  before  us;  ;uid  think 
of  the  love  of  our  IxcileenuT,  who,  in  compassion  to 
our  fears,  became  '*  bone  of  our  bone,  and  tlesh  of  our 
flesh,"  that,  by  his  own  example,  he  might  teaeh  us 
bow  to  die  '  Had  he  returned  from  Ciirth  to  heaven 
in  triumph  ;  had  he  avoided  the  d.u-k  valley  himself, 
and,  sunnnouing  his  Unions  of  angels,  left  the  world 
by  a  direct  asvvnsion  io  glory,  tluMi,  whatever  lessons 
he  might  have  taught,  and  whatever  eonunands  tmd 
encouragenuMits  he  might  have  advlresscd  to  his  fol- 
lowers, u^spectitig  their  couiluct  in  that  last  hour  of 
darkness  and  distress,  his  instructions  would  have  had 
littU'  ellVvt  in  comparisvMi  Nvith  the  eharni  of  his  cx- 
lunple,  when,  placing  himself  in  tlu  Ir  cinaimstanoos, 
^id  sulMuittiui;'  to  their  fate,  he  "  bowcvl  his  head  and 


142  MEDITATION  VIII. 

gave  up  the  ghost ;"  and  met  death,  as  he  commands 
his  people  to  meet  it,  in  the  exercise  of  an  unshaken 
confidence  in  God,  and  humble  submission  to  his  will. 
Where  shall  wo  find  such  another  example  of  holy  for- 
titude for  our  imitation  ?  where  such  another  instance 
of  success  for  our  encouragement  ? 

Did  the  Redeemer  die, — that  he  might  not  onlj^  de- 
prive death  of  its  sting,  but  overcome  him  that  had  the 
power  of  death,  and  take  it  into  his  own  hands  ?  Let 
us,  then,  rejoice  in  his  success  ;  for  once  Satan  had 
the  power  of  death,  but  Christ  hath  "  carried  captivity 
captive,"  and  "  Satan  hath  fallen  before  him  as  light- 
ning from  heaven  "  In  that  hour,  which  he  did  him- 
self emphatically  call  "  the  hour  and  the  power  of 
darkness,"  when  he  was  in  more  than  mortal  agony, 
travailing  in  the  greatness  of  his  strength,  he  van- 
quished death  and  hell,  and  he  wrested  from  the  hands 
of  our  greatest  enemy,  and  took  into  his  own  posses- 
sion, the  keys  of  death  and  of  the  invisible  worid. 
Death  still  reigns,  but  Christ  has  now  the  dominion 
over  death. 

In  token  of  his  victory,  the  Redeemer  adds,  "  I  am 
ALIVE  FOR  EVERM(»RE."  The  grave  received,  but  it 
could  not  retain  him  ;  and  while  the  fact  of  his  inter- 
ment may  well  serve  to  reconcile  us  to  the  peaceful 
grave,  with  all  its  loneliness  and  darkness,  since  it  Avas 
emhaliiu'd  by  the  presence  of  our  Lord  himself,  the 
fact  of  his  resurrection  from  the  grave  should  enkindle 
the  bright  hope  of  a  glorious  morning,  after  that  dark 
night  has  passed  away. 


MEDITATION  VIII.  143 

For,  did  the  Redeemer  arise  from  the  tomb  ?  Then 
here,  at  least,  is  one  example  of  restoration  to  life  after 
the  agony  of  death  was  past, — one  case  in  which  the 
spell  of  death  was  broken,  and  the  cerements  of  the 
tomb  burst,  and  the  power  of  Satan  vanquished, — one 
living  monument  of  the  immortality  of  man, — one  in- 
contestible  proof,  that  the  same  body  which  died,  and 
the  same  spirit  which  departed,  may  meet  again  after 
that  fearful  separation.  Christ  hath  risen,  and  in  his 
resurrection  Ave  find  the  ground  of  an  eternal  hope. 

Did  the  Redeemer  arise  from  the  grave  in  the  same 
character  in  which  he  died, — as  the  head  and  repre- 
sentative of  his  people  ?  Then  is  his  resurrection  not 
only  rhe  proof,  but  the  pledge ;  not  only  the  evidence, 
but  the  earnest  of  our  own.  For  if  the  head  be  risen, 
shall  not  the  members  of  his  body  rise  also  ?  If,  as  our 
representative,  he  hath  passed  into  the  heavens,  shall 
not  we,  in  whose  name,  and  for  whose  behoof,  he  un- 
dertook and  accomplished  his  mediatorial  Avork,  follow 
him  in  our  order  and  time  ?  Did  we  die  with  him, 
and  shall  we  not  rise  with  him?  "  If  we  have  been 
planted  together  in  the  likeness  of  his  death,  we  shall 
be  also  in  the  likeness  of  his  resurrection."  "  If  we 
be  dead  with  Christ,  Ave  believe  that  Ave  shall  also  live 
with  him."     "  Because  I  Ha^c,  ye  shall  live  also." 

Did  the  Redeemer  not  only  rise  from  the  grave,  but 
does  he  live  for  evermore  ?  Is  he  the  same  yes- 
terday, to-day,  and  for  ever  ?  Not  only  eternal  in  his 
being,  but  unchangeable  in  his  character,  as  our  Re- 
deemer ?     What,  then,  should  cause  us  to  despond,  or 


144  MEDITATION  VIII. 

make  us  afraid  ?  or  "  what  shall  separate  us  from  the 
love  of  Christ?"  Since  Christ  hath  died,  yea,  also, 
and  hath  risen  again,  and  is  now  and  for  ever  at  the 
right  hand  of  God,  "  I  am  persuaded,  that  neither 
death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor  principalities,  nor 
powers,  nor  things  present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor 
height,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature,  shall  sepa- 
rate us  from  his  love."  True,  we  know  not  what  may 
yet  hefall  us,  nor  into  what  untried  circumstances,  or 
state  of  heing,  we  may  hereafter  be  brought ;  we  are 
sure  that  one  day  we  must  die  and  enter  the  invisible 
world ;  and  we  may  well  be  concerned  for  an  event 
which  will  have  an  everlasting  issue  for  good  or  for 
evil ;  but  placing  our  trust  in  the  efficacy  of  the  Re- 
deemer's death,  and  believing  in  the  fact  of  his  resur- 
rection, we  may  take  his  own  word  as  the  rock  of  our 
confidence  and  hope, — "  I  am  alive  for  evermore, 
Amen;"  and  "because  I  live,  ye  shall  live  also." 

If  these  views  of  the  death  and  resurrection  of  our 
blessed  Lord  are  fitted  to  banish,  or  mitigate,  the  fear 
of  dissolution,  and  to  inspire  the  hope  of  a  glorious 
immortality,  how  much  should  their  impression  be 
aided  by  the  sublime  statement  in  the  last  clause  of 
the  passage, — "  I  have  the  keys  of  hell  and  op 

DEATH  !" 

The  power  of  the  keys  is  an  absolute  power, — a 
royal  prerogative.  Christ's  authority  is  not  confined 
to  the  visible  Church  on  earth ;  it  extends  to  the 
invisible  world,  and  embraces  under  its  jurisdiction 
all  the  disembodied  spirits,  of  whatsoever  character ; 


MEDITATION  VIII. 


145 


altliougK  Aey  have  left  this  world,  tliey  are  still  under 
the  dominion  of  him,  of  whom  it  is  said,  that  "  at  his 
name  every  knee  shall  bow,  of  thi^igs  in  heaven,  of 
things  on  earth,  and  of  things  -^nder  the  earth;  and 
every  tongue  confess  that  he  is  Lord,  to  the  glory  of 
God  the  Father." 

It  is  as  the  Redeemer,  that  he  asserts  his  claim  ^to 
the  keys ;  that  claim  is  founded  on  the  fact,  that  "  he 
overcame  death  and  him  that  had  the  power  of  death, 
in  order  to  deliver  those  who,  through  fear  of  death, 
were  all  their  lifetime  subject  to  bondage;"  and  it  is 
expressly  declared  by  the  apostle,  that,  "  for  this  end, 
Christ  both  died  and  rose  again,  and  revived,  that  he 
might  be  Lord  both  of  the  dead  and  of  the  living." 

That  he  is  the  Lord  of  the  dead,  is  here  asserted— 
«  I  have  the  keys  of  hell."     In  the  original  there  are 
two  terms,  each  of  which  is  rendered  by  the  word 
"hell"  in  the  English  version;    the  one,  however, 
literally  imports  the  invisible  world  at  large,  while 
the  other  denotes  that  department  of  the  invisible 
world  which  is  specially  appropriated  to  the  punish- 
ment of  the  wicked.     In  the  passage  before  us,  the 
more  comprehensive  term  is  used ;  and  here,  as  else- 
where, it  is  to  be  regarded  as  signifying  not  merely 
the   place   of  future   punishment,   although   that  is 
unquestionably  included  in  it,  but,  more  generally,  the 
world  of  spirits,  the  entire  state  of  retribution,  whether 
of  reward  or  punishment.     We  learn  from  Scripture, 
that  the  whole  of  that  vast  world  is  divided  into  two 
departments-  and  only  two— heaven  and  hell;  and 

xo 


14G  MEDITATION  Till. 

tliat  tetwixt  the  two,  a  great  giilph  is  fixe(1, — an  im- 
passable gulph  of  separation  :  but  separated  as  they 
are,  Christ  reigns  over  both ;  and  when  he  says,  "  I 
have  the  keys  of  the  invisible  world,"  he  asserts  his 
dominion  over  all  the  spirits  that  have  ever  passed 
from  this  -world,  either  into  heaven  or  hell ;  and  his 
absolute  control  over  them  in  their  final  destination 
of  happiness  or  woe. 

"When  it  is  affirmed,  that  he  has  also  "  the  key  of 
death,"  it  is  plainly  implied  that  no  spirit  can  pass  out 
of  this  present  world  Avithout  hispermission  or  appoint- 
ment; and,  more  generally,  that  ho  is  lord  of  the 
living  not  less  than  of  the  dead,  ♦  and  has  a  thorough 
control  over  every  thing  that  can  in  any  way  affect 
the  lives  of  men.  A-n  absolute  power  over  death 
necessarily  presupposes  a  corresponding  power  over 
life  and  its  affairs ;  and  it  is  by  the  exercise  of  his 
providence  in  sustaining  life,  that  he  fulfils  his  pur- 
pose as  to  the  time  and  mode  of  their  departure 
hence. 

So  that,  combining  these  several  views,  we  arrive  at 
this  grand  and  comprehensive  result,  that  the  Redeemer 
is  possessed  of  absolute  power  over  the  course  of  our 
lives  on  earth,  over  the  time  and  manner  of  our  de- 
parture out  of  the  world,  and  over  that  invisible  state, 
in  each  of  its  great  departments,  on  which  our  spirits 
enter  when  they  quit  their  mortal  tabernacles  ;  and  this 
noble  testimony  to  the  universal  power  and  everlasting 

•  See  Ilowe's  Redeemer's  Domiiiiou  over  the  Invisible 
Worid. 


MEDITATION  VIII.  147 

presence  of  Christ  with  his  disciples,  is  fitted  to  sug- 
gest several  reflections,  which  may  be  useful  in  dissi- 
pating their  anxieties,  and  in  fortifying  their  courage, 
when  they  contemplate  either  the  futui-e  course  of  their 
pilgrimage  here,  or  the  solemn  prospect  of  its  termi- 
nation, or  the  still  more  solemn,  because  untried  and 
eternal,  state  on  which  they  shall  enter  hereafter. 

Has  the  Redeemer  the  keys  of  death  ?  Then  thia 
consideration  ought  to  relieve  our  minds  both  of  the 
anxieties  and  the  regrets  which  we  are  too  apt  to  feel| 
in  reference  to  the  changes  of  the  present  life. 

It  should  mitigate  the  anxiety  which  often  preys 
upon  the  mind  when  we  look  forward  into  futurity, 
and  contemplate  the  prospect  of  our  own  dissolution* 
We  should  remember,  that  as  the  Redeemer  alone 
hath  the  keys  of  death,  nothing  can  happen  to  send 
us  forth  from  the  world  before  the  time  which  he  has 
appointed  for  our  departure.  Neither  man  nor  devils 
can  abridge  the  term  of  probation  assigned  to  us  by 
our  gracious  Master ;  nor,  until  he  is  pleased  to  call 
us  away,  shall  any  power  on  earth  or  in  hell  prevail 
against  us ;  no  accident,  no  hostile  violence,  no  insidi- 
ous snare,  no  dark  conspiracy,  can  touch  our  life,  but 
by  his  command.  And  surely,  when  we  reflect  on 
the  numerous  dangers  to  which  human  life  is,  in  its 
greatest  security,  exposed, — the  frailty  of  our  frame, 
— the  diseases  to  which  it  is  subject, — our  constant 
exposure  to  fatal  accidents,  and  the  malice  of  open  or 
concealed  enemies,  it  must  be  consolatory  to  know, 
that  the  key  of  death  is  in  the  Saviour's  hands,  and 


148  MEDITATION  VIII. 

that,  come  what  may,  -vve  cannot  be  forced  out  of  the 
world,  till  he  open  the  door  and  bid  us  depart. 

More  especially,  when  we  are  visited  with  disease, 
and  threatened  with  a  speedy  termination  of  life,  the 
Saviour's  power  over  the  keys  of  death  should  repress 
or  assuage  those  \iolent  anxieties  as  to  the  probability 
of  death  or  of  recovery,  and  those  disquieting  specula- 
tions as  to  the  issue  of  disease,  and  the  mode  of  its 
treatment,  in  which  we  are  too  apt  to  indulge  to  an 
extent  which  unfits  the  mind  for  the  serious  exercises 
of  religion,  appropriate  to  a  season  of  personal  affliction. 
"Who  has  not  felt  in  the  hours  of  languishing  and  sick- 
ness, that  these  painful  and  perplexing  thoughts  were 
even  more  harassing  to  his  mind,  than  the  pressure  of 
disease  itself,  and  that  they  diverted  his  attention,  in 
a  great  measure,  from  the  profitable  contemplation  of 
divine  things  ?  Now,  besides  that  they  are  injurious, 
as  tending  to  divert  the  mind  from  what  is  certain, 
to  what  must  necessarily  be  uncertain  until  the  event 
shall  disclose  it, — and  useless,  as  being  incapable  of 
either  ascertaining  or  altering  the  future  issue,  it  is 
our  privilege,  as  Christians,  to  know  that  such  anxieties 
are  altogether  groundless ;  for  disease  cannot  kill,  nor 
medicine  cure,  without  the  appointment  of  Ilim  who 
holds  in  his  own  hands  the  keys  of  life  and  of  death ; 
and  if  he  hath  fixed  the  issue  of  this  disease,  why 
should  we  be  anxious  ?  If  death  be  in  the  cup,  that 
cup  has  been  put  into  our  hands  at  the  time  fixed  by 
imerring  wisdom  and  infinite  love  ;  and  if  the  door  of 
death  be  opening  for  our  departure,  it  is  because  the 


MEDITATION  VIII.  149 

Saviour,  in  whom  we  trust,  is  summoning  us  away. 
JShali  we,  then,  rebel  against  his  appointment  ?  shall  we 
doubt  the  wisdom  of  his  deterramation  ?  or,  ignorant 
as  we  are  of  what  is  before  us  in  this  world,  and  of 
what  really  concerns  our  best  interests,  can  we  enter- 
tain the  wish,  that  the  power  of  determining  the  time 
of  our  death  were  wrested  out  of  his  hands  and  placed 
in  our  own  ?  True,  we  may  have  many  ties  that 
attach  us  to  this  world ;  we  may  be  young,  and,  with 
the  sanguine  hope  of  youth,  may  cleave  to  life ;  we 
may  be  prosperous,  and  surrounded  with  many  com- 
forts ;  we  may  have  a  young  and  engaging  family, 
whom  we  are  loath  to  leave  behind  us  to  the  cold 
charities  of  the  world ;  we  may  have  many  dependents 
on  our  industry  or  bounty,  who  will  bitterly  lament 
our  loss  ;  but  do  we  imagine  that  these  considerations 
are  not  known  to  the  Redeemer,  or  that  he  has  not 
weighed  them  all  ?  and  if,  notwithstanding,  it  be  his 
will  to  summon  us,  are  we  not  prepared  to  yield  up 
our  judgment  to  his  ? 

The  same  consideration  should  prevent  or  repress 
the  anxiety  which  is  too  often  felt  respecting  the  mode 
and  circumstances  of  our  dissolution,  not  less  than 
respecting  the  time  of  its  occurrence.  A  pensive  mind 
is  apt  to  be  oppressed  with  melancholy  forebodings  as 
to  the  situation  in  which  death  may  overtake  it,  and 
to  muse  on  the  thousand  possibilities  which  fancy  may 
conjure  up  in  the  darkness  of  the  future,  till  it  is  over- 
whelmed with  anxieties  of  its  own  creation.     We  know 

as  little  of  the  mode  as  we  do  of  the  time  of  our  de-« 

13* 


150  MEDITATION  VIII. 

parture  hence ;  it  may  be  tliat  Ave  shall  quit  the  world 
with  ease  or  Avith  difficulty,  by  a  sudden  stroke,  or  by 
protracted  suffering ;  "vve  may  be,  at  the  time,  vividly 
conscious,  or  in  a  state  of  partial  aberration,  or  totally 
insensible  ;  we  may  die  alone,  or  in  the  midst  of  friends; 
by  sea  or  by  land  ;  at  home  or  abroad  ;  on  the  high- 
way, or  in  the  solitary  desert,  or  on  our  own  pillow. 
These  possibilities  are  apt  to  be  converted,  by  a 
melancholy  temperament,  into  the  food  of  anxious 
disquietude  and  fretting  care.  It  is  a  very  obvious 
consideration,  that  such  anxieties,  springing,  as  they 
do,  from  all  possible  forms  of  dissolution,  must,  for  the 
greater  part,  be  groundless,  as  death  can  only  meet  us 
in  one  form  at  last ;  and  that,  even  in  reference  to  that 
form,  in  respect  of  which  they  may  be  well-founded, 
they  are  totally  useless,  as  being  of  no  avail  to  avert 
or  alter  it;  that  such  persons  harass  themselves  re- 
Bpccting  a  matter  which  must  be  totally  unknown,  and 
which,  were  it  known,  is,  nevertheless,  beyond  their 
control ;  that  their  present  fears  respecting  it  occasion 
a  greater  and  more  protracted  suffering  than  the  event 
itself  could  occasion,  did  it  really  occur  in  its  most 
formidable  shape ;  that  fear  is,  in  Its  very  nature,  an 
anticipation,  and,  in  some  measure,  a  foretaste  of  all 
possible  evils,  whereas  In  death,  one  form  of  that  evil 
only  is  endured ;  and  that  such  anxieties  have  the 
effect  of  spreading  death,  as  it  were,  over  the  whole 
extent  of  life,  according  to  the  beautiful  language  of 
the  apostle,  when  he  speaks  of  some  "  who  through  the 
f<ear  of  death,  are  all  their  lifetime  subject  to  bondage." 


MEDITATION  VIII.  151 

But,  without  dwelling  on  these  obvious  considerations, 
what  matters  it,  after  all,  where,  or  in  what  circum- 
stances we  die  ?  Die  where  we  may,  we  cannot  be 
beyond  the  reach  of  the  Redeemer's  protection, — nay, 
the  fact  that  he  has  in  his  own  hand  the  key  of  death, 
is  a  proof  that  he  is  present  with  us,  and  that  he  is 
thinking  of  us,  in  what  place,  and  at  what  time  soever 
death  may  overtake  us ;  for  there,  where  we  die,  he 
summons  us ;  and  it  is  ours  to  be  ready  and  willing  to 
depart  at  his  call. 

This  consideration  should  repress,  not  only  the 
anxieties  which  we  feel  in  regard  to  the  future,  but 
also  the  regrets  which  we  are  too  apt  to  cherish  re- 
specting the  bereavements  with  Avhich  we  have  already 
been  visited.  It  is  not  less  instructive  and  consoling, 
when  viewed,  in  reference  to  the  death  of  relatives 
and  friends,  than  when  it  is  considered  in  respect  to 
our  own  prospect  of  dissolution.  For  it  teaches  us, 
that  the  duration  of  each  man's  existence  here  is  de  ■ 
termined  by  the  Redeemer ;  that  it  belongs  to  him  to 
appoint  a  longer  or  shorter  period  to  each,  as  he  will ; 
and  in  doing  so,  we  have  reason  to  be  satisfied,  that 
he  determines  according  to  the  dictates  of  infallible 
wisdom,  although  the  reasons  of  his  procedure  must 
necessarily  be  to  us,  for  the  present,  inscrutable.  AYe 
cannot  tell  why  one  is  removed  in  infancy,  another 
in  boyhood,  a  third  in  the  prime  of  manly  vigour, 
and  a  fourth  reserved  to  the  period  of  old  age ;  and, 
above  all,  why  the  most  promising  in  talent  and  char- 
acter, and  the  most  useful  in  their  several  stations,  are 


152  MEDITATION  VIII. 

taken  away,  wlille  others  of  Inferior  worth  are  often 
left  behind  ;  but  suffice  it  for  us,  that  this  happens  not 
by  chance,  neither  is  it  the  result  of  caprice  or  care- 
lessness, but  flows  from  that  unerring  wisdom,  whose 
counsels  are  formed  on  a  view  of  all  possible  relations 
and  consequences,  whether  as  to  the  visible  or  invisible, 
the  present  or  the  future  states  of  being.  The  power 
of  death  being  in  the  hands  of  the  Redeemer,  the 
duration  of  humjln  life  is,  in  every  instance,  determined 
by  him ;  and  none,  therefore,  ought  to  entertain  the 
thought,  either  that  death  is,  in  one  case,  unduly />re- 
inature^  or,  in  another,  unduly  delayed.  None  live, 
either  for  a  longer  or  for  a  shorter  period  than  infinite 
wisdom  has  assigned  to  them ;  and  as  reason  teaches, 
that  to  his  appointment  we  must  submit,  however  un- 
willing, it  being  irresistible,  and  far  beyond  our  control, 
— so,  as  Christians,  we  should  learn  to  acquiesce  in  it 
cheerfully,  as  the  appointment  of  one  who  cannot  err. 
That  the  determined  hour  had  arrived,  is  a  reflection 
that  should  serve  to  banish  every  useless  regret,— 
but  that  this  hour  was  fixed  by  one  in  whose  wis- 
dom Ave  confide,  and  of  whose  interest  in  our  welfare 
we  have  the  strongest  assurance,  is  a  thought  which 
should  not  only  induce  resignation,  but  inspire  comfort 
and  peace. 

For,  when  death  docs  seize  any  of  our  friends, 
whether  in  the  ordinary  course  of  disease  and  decay, 
or  by  violence  or  accident,  how  consolatory  to  the 
mouniing  relatives  is  the  thought,  that  it  came  at  the 
bidding  of  the  Saviour,  and  that  it  has  not  arrived 


MEDITATION  VIII.  153 

•without  his  sanction  and  appointment !  Othenvise, 
Tve  might  be  apt  to  reflect,  with  unavailing  regret,  on 
certain  needless  exposures  that  might  have  been 
avoided,  certain  remedies  whose  virtues  might  have 
been  tried,  certain  names  high  in  professional  reputa- 
tion, who  might  have  been  consulted;  or  to  dwell, 
with  painful  self-reproach,  on  certain  accidents  that 
might  have  been  prevented,  and  injuries  which  timely 
care  might  have  cured.  The  mind  will  often  busy 
itself  with  such  reflections  after  the  loss  of  a  near  and 
dear  friend ;  but  the  very  intensity  of  feeling  which  is 
thus  called  forth,  is  a  sufficient  proof  that  any  care- 
lessness or  negligence  that  may  have  been  manifested, 
was  far,  very  far,  from  being  designed  or  wilful.  And 
although,  where  criminal  negligence  has  been  shown, 
no  doctrine,  however  consolatory,  can  prevent  regret, 
or  should  repress  feelings  of  penitential  sorrow ;  yet, 
in  other  cases,  where  the  heart  bears  witness  to  its 
own  interest  in  the  beloved  object,  the  doctrine  of 
Christ's  absolute  command  over  the  keys  of  death, 
and  the  consideration  that  our  friend  was  summoned 
away  by  a  deliberate  act  of  his  sovereign  wisdom,  may 
well  assuage  the  grief  which  such  reflections  on  the 
commencement,  progress,  and  treatment  of  the  dis- 
ease, are  wont  to  awaken  in  the  most  sensitive  and 
afi*ectionate  minds. 

While  this  sublime  statement  should  banish,  or  at 
least  mitigate,  the  anxieties  and  regrets  which  we 
sometimes  experience,  in  reference  to  the  events  of 
the  nresent  life,  inasmuch  as  Christ's  power  over  death 

K 


154  MEDITATION  Vin. 

implies  a  corresponding  power  over  life  and  its  affairs, 
it  is  equally  fitted  to  fortify  our  minds  for  the  last 
struggle  of  nature,  since  it  assures  us  that  Christ  will 
then  be  present  with  us.  In  the  Yery  article  of  death, 
it  gives  us  comfort.  For,  hath  the  Redeemer  the  keys 
of  death  ?  Then  he  presides  over  that  dark  passage 
■which  leads  from  this  world  to  the  next ;  his  power 
does  not  terminate  with  our  present  life ;  it  extends 
from  the  world  which  is  smiling  in  the  cheerful  light 
of  day,  to  that  mysterious  passage  which  lies  amidst 
the  sepulchres  of  the  dead,  and  which,  to  our  imper- 
fect vision,  is  shrouded  in  impenetrable  darkness.  We 
know  not  the  secrets  of  that  passage,  We  cannot 
know  what  it  is  to  die.  The  mind  may  then  have 
views  and  feelings  of  which  it  is  impossible  for  us  at 
present  to  form  any  conception ;  for  who  shall  attempt 
to  describe  what  may  be  passing  in  the  soul  when  the 
tie  that  binds  it  to  the  bodv  is  breakinsr,  and  nature  is 
undergoing  dissolution  ?  And  what  renders  that  scene 
still  more  awful  is,  that  v:e  die  aluni\ — alone  we  enter 
on  the  dark  valley.  Friends  and  family  may  stand 
around  our  couch,  and  watch  the  progress  of  dissolu- 
tion ;  but  they  cannot  accompany  us,  neither  are  they 
sensible  of  what  we  feel,  nor  able  in  any  way  to  help 
or  deliver  us.  The  spirit  departs  alone  ;  and  in  that 
awful  hour  of  separation  from  human  fellowship, — in 
that  solitude  of  death,  when,  placed  on  the  verge  of 
the  invisible  world,  we  know  that  all  behind  must  be 
forsaken,  and  are  ignorant  of  what  may  meet  us  as 
we  advance,  oh  !  how  consolatory  to  reflect,  that  death 


MEDITATION  Vin.  155 

itself  is  STiLject  to  the  Redeemer's  power, — that  he 
watches  over  the  dissolution  of  his  people,  and  keeps 
his  eye,  not  only  on  the  busy  scenes  of  life,  but  also 
on  the  secret  mysteries  of  death.  Yes,  '"'^precious 
in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  is  the  death  oj"  his  saints." 
There  he  is,  where  most  we  need  a  friend  and  com- 
forter, standing  at  the  gate  of  death,  with  absolute 
power  oyer  every  enemy  that  can  assail  us,  and  with 
unquenchable  zeal  for  our  welfare.  Dark,  then,  as  the 
passage  is,  and  unknown  as  are  its  dangers  and  pains, 
surely  we  may  venture  to  commit  ourselves  into  his 
hands,  and  to  say  with  the  Psalmist,  "  Yea,  though  I 
walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  I  will 
fear  no  evil :  for  thou  art  with  me  ;  thy  rod  and  thy 
staff  they  comfort  me ;"  for,  says  the  Apostle,  "  all 
things  are  yours,  whether  Paul,  or  Apollos,  or  Cephas, 
or  life, — or  death." 

But  Christ  hath  also  the  keys  of  the  invisible  world 
at  large ;  none  can  enter  there  without  his  permis- 
sion, and  all,  without  exception,  are  under  his  control. 
His  kingdom  on  earth  is  but  a  small  dependency, 
compared  with  his  universal  dominion  in  the  invisible 
state,  where  already  are  congregated,  of  the  human 
race,  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  more  than  are 
any  where  to  be  found  on  the  earth's  surface,  besides 
the  hosts  of  spiritual  beings  of  whom  we  read  in  Scrip- 
ture, as  angels,  elect  or  fallen,  archangels,  principa- 
lities, dominions  and  powers.  Not  one  human  spirit 
that  ever  lived  on  the  earth's  surface  has  been  extin- 
!^shed, — they  are  all  at  this  moment  alive  in  one  or 


156  MEDITATION  VIII. 

other  department  of  the  Invisible  world,  and,  holy  or 
unholy,  happy  or  wretched,  they  are  under  the  domi- 
nion of  our  Saviour;  and  under  the  same  dominion 
are  placed  all  higher  intelligences,  fallen  or  unfallen, 
of  what  rank  and  In  what  station  soever  they  may 
be.  Could  we  form  an  estimate  of  the  multitude 
of  human  spirits  which  must  have  passed  into  that 
vast  region  from  our  own  world  since  the  period  of 
its  creation, — of  the  countless  millions  which  every 
province  of  the  earth,  and  every  Island  of  the  sea, 
have  yielded  to  swell  the  host  of  departed  spirits, — 
and  could  we,  moreover,  form  any  conception  of  the 
different  orders  of  beings,  purely  spiritual,  and  the 
multitudes  belonging  to  every  order,  together  with 
their  respective  rank,  and  dignity,  and  power, — 
could  we  conceive  of  the  extent  of  that  world,  which 
is  at  once  described  as  heaven,  the  third  heavens,  and 
yet  as  stretching  far  above  all  heavens, — then  might 
we  have  some  materials  for  forming  an  estimate  of 
the  grandeur  and  extent  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom ; 
but,  unable  as  we  are  to  comprehend  a  theme  so  vast 
in  itself,  and  of  which  only  a  few  glimpses  are  revealed 
in  Scripture,  surely  it  is  consolatory  to  reflect,  that 
whatever  may  be  the  extent  of  the  Invisible  world, — 
whatever  the  number,  the  rank,  and  the  character  of 
the  various  orders  of  its  inhabitants,  the  whole  of  that 
vast  region,  and  all  these  innumerable  hosts,  are  under 
the  dominion  of  him  who  was  "  bone  of  our  bone,  and 
flesh  of  our  flesh,"  and  who,  as  our  Redeemer,  has 
identified  our  Interests  with  his  own,  by  "  dying  for 


MEDITATION  Vin.  157 

onr  slnSj  and  rising  again  for  otlr  justification,"  and 
who  is  even  now  "  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  making 
intercession  for  us."  When  we  come  to  enter  on 
that  world  over  which  he  presides,  what  reflection 
could  so  well  support  the  mind  in  the  prospect  of 
such  a  destination  as  this,  that,  go  where  we  may, 
we  are  still  under  the  watchful  eye  of  one  who  has 
given  us  the  strongest  assurances  of  his  love  ?  And 
may  we  not  well  believe,  that,  if  we  have  trusted 
in  him  without  being  disappointed,  while  we  so- 
journed in  this  remote  province  of  his  empire,  much 
more  may  we  trust  in  his  care,  when  we  enter  that 
invisible  world  where  he  is,  and  over  which  he  reigns 
in  the  full  manifestation  of  his  mediatorial  power  and 
glory  ? 

As  Christ  has  the  key  of  the  invisible  world  at 
large,  so  hath  he  the  key  of  each  ward  or  department 
—the  keys  of  heaven  and  of  hell. 

Hath  he  the  key  of  hell  ?     Then,  knowing  as  we 

do,  that  there  are  rebellious  spirits  of  great  subtlety, 

and  power,  and  malice,  and  that  they  are  sometimes 

permitted  to  go  about  as  roaring  lions,  seeking  whom 

they  may  devour,  we  might  have  many  an  anxious 

fear,  lest,  in  the  dark  hour  of  death,  some  such  should 

be  watching  for  the  spirit,  when  it  ventures  alone  into 

the  invisible  world  ;  but  "  precious  in  the  sight  of  the 

Lord  is  the  death  of  his  saints," — to  that  death-bed 

the  watchful  eye  of  the  Saviour  is  directed ;  he  can 

and  will  restrain  the  malice  of  our  enemies ;  and  his 

promise  is,  that  "  whoso  believeth  on  him  shall  never 

14  - 


158  MEDITATION  Vm. 

come  into  condemnation,"  and  tliat  "  none  shall  pluck 
them  out  of  his  Father's  hand." 

And  hath  the  Redeemer  the  keys  of  heaven, — that 
blessed  asylum  of  purity  and  peace,  ■svhere,  in  the 
midst  of  his  redeemed,  the  Saviour  himself  dwells  ? 
Then,  in  the  hands  of  our  best  friend,  one  "svho  is 
pledged  to  us  by  the  sacredness  of  his  word,  and  by 
the  shedding  of  his  own  blood,  in  his  hands  is  the 
power  of  admitting  us ; — and  will  he  shut  the  door 
against  us  ? — he  who,  for  the  opening  of  that  door, 
descended  from  heaven  to  earth,  and  whose  prayer 
was  and  is,  "  Father,  I  will  that  they  whom  thou 
hast  given  me,  be  with  me  where  I  am,  that  they 
may  behold  my  glory  ?  "  No  ;  the  door  of  heaven  is 
thrown  open  for  the  reception  of  his  penitent  and 
believing  people.  Even  now  is  he  "  preparing  a 
place  for  them  in  his  Father's  house,  where  there 
are  many  mansions ;"  and  thus  will  he  receive  and 
welcome  them,  on  their  departure  hence,  "  Come,  ye 
blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  \i\w^i\ovs\  prepared 
for  you" — "  well  done,  good  and  faithful  servants, 
enter  ye  into  the  joy  of  your  Lord." 


MEDITATION  IX. 


Ps.  cxix.  50. — *♦  This  is  my  comfort  in  mine  affliction  :'* 

**  And  one  of  the  elders  answered,  saying  unto  me,  What  are 
these  which  are  arrayed  in  ichite  robes  9  arid  whence  came 
they  9  And  I  said  unto  him.  Sir,  thou  knowest.  And 
he  said  to  me,  These  are  they  which  came  out  of  great  tribu' 
lation,  and  have  washed  their  robes,  and  made  them  white  in 
the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  Therefore  are  they  before  the  throne 
of  God."— Rev.  VII.  13-15. 

When  a  thouglitful  man  considers  the  history  of  this 
"world,  from  the  creation  downward  to  the  present  time, 
and  reflects  on  the  thousand  successive  generations  of 
our  race  which  have  been  born,  and  which  have  hved, 
and  passed  away, — when  he  traces  in  the  page  of  his- 
tory the  revolutions  and  wars,  the  schemes  and  enter- 
prises, the  discoveries  in  art  and  science,  which  mark 
its  epochs,  and  considers  that  all  the  busy  spirits  which 
then  thought,  and  felt,  and  acted,  with  so  much  inten- 
sity and  interest,  have  long  since  been  laid  to  rest,— 
"when  he  looks  to  the  sepulchres  in  every  land,  where 
all  nations  and  tribes  are  entombed ;  and,  above  all, 


160  MEDITATION  DC. 

"vvlien  he  thinks  of  the  multitude  that  have  been  car- 
ried, one  after  another,  from  his  o^vn  neighbourhood 
to  the  grave,  and  that  it  now  contains  many  of  the 
members  of  his  own  family, — all  whom,  in  their  age, 
he  was  wont  in  his  youth  to  revere,  and  many  whom, 
in  their  childhood,  he  knew  and  loved ;  he  can  hardly 
fail  to  be  struck  by  the  thought,  that  he  is  more  nearly 
related  to  the  departed  than  to  the  living ;  that  the 
earth  contains,  within  its  bars,  a  much  larger  number 
of  men  than  it  bears  on  its  surface ;  and  that,  while  it 
is  the  abode  of  the  living,  it  is,  in  a  larger  sense,  the 
depository  of  the  dead. 

Can  a  mind  of  any  reflective  power  stop  short  at 
this  melancholy  point ;  or  will  it  not  entertain  the 
question, — What  is  the  state  of  the  mighty  congrega- 
tion which  lies  below  ?  "What  has  become  of  those 
living  and  active  spirits  which  once  appeared  on  the 
arena  of  public  affairs,  and  set  the  world  in  motion ; 
or  which,  in  the  more  quiet  and  secluded  walks  of 
humble  life,  awakened  the  interest  of  the  domestic 
circle,  and  a  small  neighbourhood  of  friends  ?  Are 
these  spirits  still  alive  ?  Are  they  in  a  state  of  con- 
scious existence  ?  and,  if  they  be,  in  what  part  of 
God's  universe,  and  in  what  circumstances,  are  they 
now  placed  ? 

The  Bible  answers  these  solemn  questions.  It  de- 
clares, that  not  one  spirit  which  has  ever  lived  and 
acted  on  the  earth  has  been  extinguished ;  that  every 
one  is  still  somewhere  conscious  of  its  existence,  and 
sensible  of  its  state.     From  the  death  of  Abel,  when 


MEDITATION  IX.  161 

the  lir&t  human  spirit  passed  into  eternity,  down  to  the 
present  moment,  when  others  are  disappearing  from  the 
midst  of  us,  has  that  state  been  fast  peopling  from  this 
earth.  And  what  a  multitude,  then,  of  human  beings 
must  be  there, — the  collective  contributions  of  all  ages 
to  eternity,  and  of  all  lands  to  heaven  or  hell ! 

For  wise  reasons,  that  thickly  peopled  scene  is  to  us 
invisible.  Were  it  disclosed  to  our  sight,  instead  of 
being  revealed  to  our  faith,  it  might  derange  the  whole 
economy  of  our  present  state  of  probation,  and  inter- 
fere with  the  operation  of  those  principles  by  which  the 
characters  of  men  are  now  tried,  and  according  to  which 
they  will  hereafter  be  judged.  But  God  has  made 
known  to  us,  by  evidence  sufficient  to  command  ra- 
tional assent,  the  fact  that  such  a  state  of  being  exists, 
and  is  to  be  expected  hereafter.  He  has  farther  in- 
formed us,  that  it  is  divided  into  two  departments, 
which  are  separated  from  each  other  by  a  great  gulph, 
and  that  into  one  or  other  of  these  departments — into 
heaven  ox  hell,  every  human  spirit  is  admitted,  accord- 
ing to  its  improvement  or  neglect  of  privileges  on 
earth, — according  to  the  state  of  its  character  at  the 
hour  of  death. 

At  present,  we  are  called  to  contemplate  the  inha- 
bitants of  heaven, — the  few  that  have  been  saved  in 
every  age,  already  swelled  into  a  multitude  which  no 
man  can  number,  and  yet  to  receive,  from  amongst 
ourselves  and  our  children,  an  accession  to  their  bless- 
ed society.  The  curtain  which  veils  the  invisible  world 

from  our  sight  is  here  drawn  aside,  and  an  innumer- 
®  14* 


162  MEDITATION  EC. 

able  multitude  of  holy  and  happy  spirits,  once  tried 
like  as  we  now  are,  are  seen  clothed  in  white  robes, 
and,  with  palms  in  their  hands,  "  singing  the  song  of 
God  and  of  the  Lamb." 

The  words  of  the  elder,  in  describing  these  blessed 
inhabitants  of  heaven,  refer,  first  of  all,  to  their  past 
history  ;  and  this  affords  matter  of  comfortable  and 
instructive  meditation.  Their  past  history  connects 
them  intimately  with  ourselves^  for  they  were  all  suf- 
ferers :  "  These  are  they  that  came  out  of  great  tri- 
bulation." They  constitute,  therefore,  a  peculiar  class 
in  heaven.  The  angels  and  seraphim  have  had  no 
personal  experience  of  sorrow,  but  these  human  spirits 
have  tasted  its  bitterness.  This  must  needs  give  a 
distinctive  aspect  to  their  class,  and  a  peculiar  tone  to 
their  feelings  for  ever ;  for  herein  they  stand  distin- 
guished from  all  other  orders  of  being  in  the  upper 
sanctuary,  that  they  were  once  a  suffering  people.  In 
this  respect,  too,  while  they  are  dissimilar  to  angels, 
all  the  redeemed  are  like  one  another  !  Kings  are 
there,  and  peasants  are  there  also  ;  but  each  has  en- 
tered heaven  through  much  tribulation,  and  there  is 
not  one  of  them  that  may  not  sympathise  with  every 
other,  in  reflecting  on  the  past,  as  in  enjoying  the 
present.  Some  of  these  blessed  spirits  were  once  in 
abject  poverty,  and  their  whole  life  was  one  continual 
struggle  against  want ;  some  were  lodged  in  a  weak 
and  sickly  frame,  or  subject  to  painful  paroxysms  of 
disease,  which  rendered  life  a  burden  ;  others  were  the 
objects  of  cruel  mockery  and  persecution,  and  "  had 


MEDITATION  IX.  1^3 

trial  of  bonds  and  imprisonments ;"  and  being  "  desti- 
tute, afflicted,  tormented,  tbej  wandered  in  deserts  and 
on  mountains,  in  dens  and  caves  of  tbe  eartb ;"  and  all 
shared  in  the  more  common  sorrows  of  life — strong 
temptation,  frequent  disappointments,  painful  bereave- 
ments, and  finally,  the  agonies  of  death.  Yet  there 
they  are  in  heaven.  Tried  like  ourselves — like  us 
ofttimes  weary,  beset  by  evil,  by  fear  distracted,  and 
ready  at  times  to  give  up  the  struggle  in  despair,  they 
were  enabled  to  persevere ;  and  "  being  found  faithful 
unto  death,  they  have  received  the  crown  of  life." 

To  the  tribulations  of  the  redeemed,  the  elder  re- 
fers as  an  important  feature  in  their  past  history, — a 
fact  so  important  that  it  was  worthy  of  being  noticed 
in  connection  with  the  weight  of  glory  which  they  now 
enjoy.  And  that  it  is  so  will  appear  from  the  follow- 
ing reasons : — 

Their  tribulations  on  earth  must  sweeten  to  them 
the  rest  and  peace  of  heaven.  The  happiness  of  that 
state  is  frequently  denoted  by  relative  terms,  such  as 
rest,  which  implies  previous  labour;  and  victory,  which 
implies  conflict ; — and  such  terms  suggest  the  contrast 
betwixt  their  previous  and  their  present  state,  by  which 
the  blessedness  of  the  latter  is  enhanced.  Never  is 
rest  more  sweet  than  when  it  comes  after  fatigue,  nor 
peace  than  after  the  toils  of  battle,  nor  safety  than 
after  the  hour  of  apprehended  danger.  Now,  here  the 
weary  traveller  has  reached  his  destination,  the  tem- 
pest-tost mariner  has  entered  his  quiet  haven;  the 
danger  is  past,  the  warfare  is  ended,  and  their  long 


164  MEDITATION  IX. 

looked  for  home  is  only  the  more  sweet,  by  reason  of 
the  numerous  pains,  and  perils,  and  privations,  which 
they  endured  by  the  way.  In  any  case,  the  contrast 
betwixt  earth  and  heaven  must  be  great ;  even  in  the 
case  of  a  king  the  transition  is  a  glorious  one ;  but  ia 
some  cases  of  severe  affliction  and  protracted  suffering, 
the  change  is,  to  our  imperfect  vision,  more  apparently 
great.  Lazarus,  old,  diseased,  and  a  beggar,  was  car- 
ried by  angels  into  Abraham's  bosom ;  and  must  not 
his  poverty  and  privations  on  earth  have  aided,  by  the 
force  of  contrast,  the  happiness  of  heaven  ? 

These  tribulations  are  an  important  feature  in  the 
history  of  the  redeemed ;  because,  while  they  now  serve 
to  sweeten  the  rest  and  peace  of  heaven,  they  were  also 
a  principal  means,  in  the  hand  of  God,  of  preparing 
iheniy  in  point  of  character,  for  its  enjoyment.  Not 
only  by  the  natural  effect  of  contrast  does  sorrow  en- 
liven succeeding  happiness,  but  by  sorrow  as  a  means 
of  moral  discipline,  concurring  with  other  means  gra- 
ciously vouchsafed,  did  God  first  lead  them  to  turn  to 
himself,  and  break  up  their  fond  attachment  to  earthly 
things,  and  woo  their  desires  and  affections  towards 
heaven ;  and  by  the  same  discipline  of  sorrow,  con- 
tinued as  need  rec^uired  after  their  conversion,  did  he 
from  time  to  time  revive  their  heavenly  hopes,  and 
check  their  backslidings,  and  stimulate  them  onwards 
in  the  path  of  preparation,  till  they  were  made  "  meet 
for  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light."  The  bene- 
ficial effect  of  aflSiction  in  preparing  them  for  glory, 
is  often  referred  to  m  the  Sacred  Writings ;  it  is  ex- 


MEDITATION  IX.  165 

pressly  declared  that,  "  thougli  at  present  not  joyous, 
but  grievous,  their  tribulations  work  out  for  them  a  far 
more  exceeding,  even  an  eternal  weight  of  glory ;"  and 
this  they  do,  by  "making  them  partakers  of  God's 
holiness."  In  so  far  as  they  conduced  to  this  blessed 
consummation,  they  were  worthy  of  being  mentioned 
as  an  important  as  well  as  interesting  feature  in  their 
past  history,  in  connection  with  the  blessedness  of  their 
present  state ;  and  doubtless,  were  the  company  of 
the  redeemed  to  give  utterance  to  their  feelings,  they 
still  might,  even  amidst  the  glories  of  heaven,  exclaim 
like  the  believer  on  earth,  "  It  was  good  for  us  that 
we  were  afflicted;  for  before  we  were  afflicted  we  went 
astray,  but  now  we  keep  thy  law." 

And  as,  in  the  experience  of  those  who  are  already 
before  the  throne  on  high,  tribulation  has  sweetened 
the  blessedness  of  heaven,  even  as  it  brought  them  to 
seek,  and  prepared  them  to  enjoy  it,  so,  surely,  to  us 
who  are  still  in  the  vale  of  tears,  no  scene  could  well 
be  more  appropriately  presented  for  our  encouragement 
in  every  difficulty,  and  our  comfort  under  every  sorrow, 
than  that,  in  which  they  who  once  suffered  as  we  now 
suffer,  and  laboured  as  we  are  called  to  labour,  are  be- 
held victorious  over  every  enemy,  delivered  from  every 
evil,  and  only  the  more  blessed  and  the  more  happy, 
in  proportion  as  their  trials  on  earth  were  protracted 
and  severe.  Were  it  a  company  of  angels,  who  never 
suffered,  that  appeared  in  this  sablime  vision,  the 
encouragement  to  us  were  less,  in  proportion  to  the 
contrast  betwixt  their  history  and  our  own ;  but  when 


166  MEDITATION  IX. 

the  spints  of  departed  men^ — the  inhabitants  of  fhe 
same  world,  the  partakers  of  the  same  nature,  the 
sharers  of  the  same  trials  with  ourselves,  are  presented 
before  us,  arrayed  in  •white  robes,  and  with  palms  of 
victory  in  their  hands,  well  may  we  thank  God  and 
take  courage,  assured,  through  their  example,  that 
"  our  labour  shall  not  be  in  vain  in  the  Lord." 

From  their  sufferings  it  necessarily  follows,  and  it 
is  obviously  presupposed  in  the  succeeding  clause,  that 
theif  were  sinners.  This,  also,  is  an  important  and  a 
distinctive  feature  in  their  past  history.  Unlike  the 
angels  of  God,  they  were  naturally  depraved.  Their 
affections  were  once  entirely  estranged  from  God  and 
his  service.  Religion  was  once  to  them  as  revolting 
as  to  others ;  and,  perhaps,  many  of  them  lapsed,  for  a 
time,  into  infidel  opinions,  and  questioned  the  existence 
of  God,  and  doubted  of  their  own  immortality,  and 
discarded  alike  the  hope  of  heaven  and  the  fear  of  hell! 
Nor  did  their  depravity  appear  only  in  the  disordered 
state  of  their  moral  feelings,  or  in  their  tendency  to 
unbelief;  it  was  manifested  in  practical  disobedience 
to  God,  wherein  soever  his  will  was  contrary  to  their 
own  in  acts  of  intemperance,  or  dishonesty,  or  un- 
cleanness ;  in  the  neglect  of  important  duty,  or  in  the 
commission  of  known  and  positive  sin. 

Yes,  all  these  glorious  and  happy  spirits  were  once 
in  this  guilty  and  depraved  condition ;  and  whatever 
of  purity  they  now  possess,  was  acquired  by  a  painful 
struggle  against  the  tendencies  of  their  fallen  nature. 
Every  one  of  them,  in  looking  back  on  their  history 


MEDITATION  IX.  1G7 

wliile  they  lived  in  this  world,  may  recollect  a  time 
when  they  were  estranged  from  God,  careless  of  his 
favour,  and  disobedient  to  his  will ;  and  these  recol- 
lections, while  they  mUst  fill  them  with  profound 
humility,  will  also  enhance,  in  their  esteem,  the  mag- 
nitude and  blessedness  of  that  salvation  which  they 
now  enjoy,  and  deepen  the  gratitude  with  which  they 
celebrate  its  triumphant  consummation.  And  were 
these  glorious  spirits  once,  like  us,  depraved  and  guilty, 
liable  to  the  same  temptations,  agitated  by  the  same 
passions,  and  opposed  by  the  same  difficulties  with 
ourselves  ?  Let  us  thank  God,  and  from  their  example 
take  courage ;  for,  guilty  as  we  are,  some  once  not  less 
guilty  are  now  in  heaven :  if  we  are  depraved,  they 
were  depraved  also ;  if  we  feel  every  motion  towards 
holiness  to  be  a  painful  struggle  against  our  nature, 
they  felt  the  same ;  if  we  have  reason  to  complain  of 
the  hardness  of  our  hearts,  and  the  instability  of  our 
purposes,  and  the  frequency  of  our  backslidings,  they 
had  the  same  occasion  to  mourn  over  theirs  ;  and  their 
sins,  their  backslidings,  their  penitential  acknowledg- 
ments, their  bitter  complaints,  their  painful  struggles, 
together  with  their  final  triumph  over  all,  are  recorded, 
and  may  well  serve  for  the  purpose,  of  encouraging 
us  to  persevere  in  the  same  path,  which,  however 
arduous,  and  however  painful  it  may  be,  will  conduct 
us,  as  it  conducted  them,  to  a  scene  of  perfect  purity 
and  everlasting  repose. 

They  were  sinful,  but — "  they  washed  their  robes, 
and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Ijamb." 


]  68  MEDITATION  IX. 

Being  guilty  and   deprared,  they  had   neither   the 
inclination  to  forsake  sin,  nor  the  means  of  expiating 
it ;  and  as  by  the  law  of  their  moral  nature,  and  the 
external  arrangements  of  God's  government,  sin  was 
inseparably  connected  with  suffering,   they  had   no 
present  enjoyment  which  could  deserve  the  name  of 
happiness,  and  the  future  offered  nothing  but  a  fearful 
looking  for  of  judgment.     Nor  was  it  consistent  with 
the  principles  of  the   divine  government,  or,  at  all 
events,  with  the  purposes  of  the  divine  mind,  to  for- 
give sin,  or  to  exempt  sinners  from  suffering  in  any 
way  which  should  have  the  effect  of  annulling  the 
sanctions  of  the  law,  or  which  might  even  seem  to  dis- 
pense with  its  authority.     But,  while  they  were  thus 
degraded  and  helpless,  by  a  glorious  device  of  divine 
wisdom  and  love,  their  sins  were  imputed  to  a  substi- 
tute, by  whom  the  penalty  of  the  law  was  endured,  and 
its  requirements  fulfilled,  in  their  room,  and  on  their 
account ;  and  the  law  being  honoured  and  magnified  by 
his  obedience  unto  death,  his  sufferings  were  accepted 
as  a  propitiation  for  their  sins ;  and  through  faith  in 
his  blood,  the  guilty  were  invited  to  draw  near  to  God 
as  a  merciful  and  forgiving  father,  and  assured  that 
they  should  receive  mercy  to  pardon,  and  grace  to  help 
in  the  time  of  need.     It  was  declared  that  "  the  blood 
of  Jesus  Christ  cleanseth  from  all  sin ; "  and  all,  with- 
out exception,  were  invited  to  wash  and  be  clean.    A 
"fountain  having  thus  been  opened  in  the  house  of 
Judah  for  sin  and  for  uncleanness,"  they  who,  con- 
yinctd  of  their  guilt  and  misery,  repaired  toit  in  the 


MEDITATION  IX.  IW 

exercise  of  faltli  In  the  divine  promise,  are  said  to 
"  have  washed  their  robes  and  made  them  white  in 
the  blood  of  the  Lamb." 

The  effect  of  that  blood,  when  savingly  applied  to 
the  conscience,  was  twofold;  it  expiated  and  took 
away  the  guilt  of  past  sins,  whereby  they  were  ob- 
noxious to  divine  ^\Tath;    and  it  had  also  a  moral 
effect  in  deadening   their  corruption,   and  renewing 
and  sanctifying  their  characters.     Its  legal  efficacy 
in  the  way  of  procuring  the  pardon  of  sin  Is  declared, 
when  the  apostle  at  one  time  asserts,  that  "  without 
the  shedding  of  blood  is  no  remission,"  and  at  another, 
"  that  we  are  redeemed  by  the  precious  blood  of  Christ, 
as  of  a  Lamb  ^vlthout  blemish  and  without  spot," — > 
"  blood  shed  for  the  remission  of  sins ;"  and  its  moral 
efi&cacy,  in  renewing  the  character  and  promoting  the 
sanctlfication  of  believers  is  asserted,  when  the  apostle 
asks,  how   "much  more  shall  the  blood  of  Christ 
purge  your  conscience  from  dead  works  to  serve  the 
living  God?" 

We  learn  from  Scripture,  that  wherever  that  blood 
has  been  effectual  for  these  ends,  it  was  savingly 
applied  to  the  conscience  by  the  Holy  Ghost, — and  this 
he  did  by  working  faith  in  their  hearts.  As  the  blood 
of  Christ  was  the  objective  ground,  so  faith  was  the 
subjective  means  of  their  salvation.  The  Holy  Spirit 
acted,  as  in  every  case  he  does  act,  in  a  way  suited  to 
their  rational  nature ;  by  convincing  them,  in  the  first 
instance,  of  their  sin  and  danger,  he  impressed  them 
with  a  sense  of  their  need  of  salvation;  by  enlighteu- 


170  MEDITATION  IX. 

ing  their  minds,  he  enabled  them  to  perceive  the  ex- 
cellency and  suitableness  of  that  salvation  >vhich  was 
revealed  and  oflfered  to  them  in  the  Gospel ;  and  by 
renewing  their  wills,  he  persuaded  them  to  embrace 
it,  and  to  appropriate  it  to  themselves  in  the  exercise 
of  a  simple  faith.  That  faith,  as  it  is  the  fruit  of  a 
divine  and  saving  change,  so  is  it  the  spring  both  of 
peace  and  of  purity ;  and  wherever  it  exists,  it  is  ever 
found  both  to  procure  pardon,  and  to  promote  sancti- 
fication.  No  sooner,  therefore,  were  they  led  by  the 
Spirit  to  apprehend  the  necessity,  and  to  aim  at  the 
attainment  of  salvation,  in  the  way  of  God's  appoint- 
ment, than  they  were  totally  changed,  both  in  their 
state  and  character,  and  they  found  that  the  blood  of 
Christ  served  both  to  wash  away  the  guilt  of  their 
lives,  and  the  pollution  of  their  nature.  Their  guilt 
was  taken  away,  and  their  characters  were  renewed, 
at  the  same  time,  and  by  the  same  means ;  and  hence, 
when  it  is  intimated  that  "  they  washed  their  ro])es 
and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,"  we 
are  to  understand  that  they  had  undergone  that  radi- 
cal change  which  is  denoted  by  the  term  conversion, 
and  had,  in  consequence,  been  not  only  "justified," 
but  also  "  sanctified  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
and  by  the  Spirit  of  our  God." 

The  blood  of  Christ,  shed  for  the  remission  of  sins, 
was  the  sole  groimd  of  their  acceptance ;  that  blood, 
sprinkled  on  their  consciences,  was  the  means  of  purg- 
ing them  from  dead  works  to  serve  the  living  God ; 
and  to  the  efficacy  of  that  blood  are  to  be  ascribed,  not 


MEDITATION  IX.  171 

only  all  tte  peace  and  holiness  which  they  acquired 
on  earth,  hut  also  their  exaltation  to  glory  and  their 
blessedness  in  heaven.     This  is  strongly  intimated  in 
the  Mord  "  therefore  :"    "  Therefore  are  they  now  he- 
fore  the  throne  of  God."     They  did  not  rise  to  glory 
on  the  ground  of  their  own  merit,  or  hy  the  strength 
of  their  own  virtue  ;  on  the  contrary,  they  were,  like 
ourselves,  "  guilty,  and  miserable,  and  poor,  and  blind, 
and  naked;"  but  feeling  their  own  guilt  and  danger, 
they  repaired  to  the  cross  of  Christ,  and  in  his  blood, 
a  propitiation  for  sin,  and  a  ground  of  hope  was  pre- 
sented, on  which  they  reposed  in  the  humble  confi- 
dence of  faith.     "  Therefore  are  they  now  before  the 
throne ;"  and,  with  mingled  emotions  of  humility  and 
gratitude,  they  cast  their  crowns  at  his  feet,  and  as- 
cribe "  salvation  to  their  God,  and  to  the  Lamb,  for 
ever  and  ever."    The  work  of  redeeming  mercy,  which 
was  their  song  in  the  house  of  their  pilgrimage,  is 
still  the  theme  of  their  song  in  heaven.    Not  to  them- 
selves but  to  the  Lamb  do  they  ascribe  the  glories  of 
their  present  state.     "  Unto  him  that  loved  us,  and 
washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood,  and  hath 
made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God  and  his  Father,  to 
him  be  glory  and  dominion  for  ever  and  ever.    Amen." 
"  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain,  to  receive  praise, 
and  honour,  and  glory," — "  for  thou  hast  redeemed  us 
to  God  by  thy  blood,  out  of  every  kindred,  and  tongue, 
and  people,  and  nation." 

Thus  did  these  glorious  and  blessed  spirits  enter 
into  heaven,  by  that  new  and  li'S'ing  way  which  Christ 


172  MEDITATION  IX. 

liatli  opened  up,  and  which  he  consecrated  with  liis 
own  blood.     And  why  should  we  despair  ?  Is  not  that 
blood  as  meritorious  and  as  effectual  as  before  ?     Is 
it  less  freely  offered  ?     Are  we  debarred  from  repair- 
ing to  it  ?     Is  the  Spirit  less  able  or  less  willing  to 
apply  it  ?     Has  the  fountain  which  was  once  opened 
in  the  house  of  Judah  for  sin  and  for  uncleanness, 
been  dried  up  or  closed  against  us  ?     Oh  !  no ;  if  we 
perish,  it  is  not  because  we  have  no  access  to  that 
fountain,  but  because  we  are  unwilling  to  repair  to  it ; 
if  we  perish,  it  will  not  be  because  that  blood  has 
lost  its  efficacy,  but  because  we  will  not  try  its  virtue ; 
not  because  Christ  is  unable  to  save  us,  but  because 
we  are  unwilling  to  be  saved.     At  this  moment  there 
is  not  one  bar  betwixt  any  of  us  and  heaven,  except 
our  own  unwillingness.     Christ  hath  opened  a  wide 
door  and   an   effectual.   Into   the   holiest  of  all ;    he 
invites  us  to  enter  in  ;  and,  guilty  and  polluted  iis  we 
are,  he  assures  us  that  "  his  blood  cleanseth  from  all 
sin,"  and  that,  believing  and  trusting  in  that  blood, 
though  "  our  sins  be  as  scarlet,  tlioy  shall  be  white  as 
snow,  though  they  be  red  like  crimson,  yet  shall  they 
be  as  wool." 


MEDITATION  X. 


Fs.cxix.  50. — "This  is  my  comfort  in  mine  affliction  :" 

**  Thou  wilt  show  me  the  path  of  life :  in  thi^  presence  is  fulness  of 
joy  ;  at  thy  right  hand  there  are  pleasures  far  evennore.^* — 
Psalm  xvi.  11. 

From  the  comnientary  of  an  inspired  apostle,  we  learn, 
that  in  this  Psalm,  David  speaks  concerning  Christ : 
"  For  David  speaketh  concerning  him,  '  I  foresaw  the 
Lord  always  hefore  me  ;  for  he  is  on  my  right  hand, 
that  I  should  not  he  moved  :  Therefore  did  my  heart 
rejoice,  and  my  tongue  was  glad ;  moreover,  also,  my 
flesh  shall  rest  in  hope  :  Because  thou  wilt  not  leave 
my  soul  in  hell,  neither  wilt  thou  suffer  thine  Holy 
One  to  see  corruption.  Thou  hast  made  known  to 
me  the  ways  of  life ;  thou  shalt  make  me  full  of  joy 
■with  thy  countenance.'  Men  and  hrethren,  let  me 
freely  speak  unto  you  of  the  Patriarch  David,  that  he 
is  hoth  dead  and  huried,  and  his  sepulchre  is  with  us 
unto  this  day.  Therefore  heing  a  prophet,  and  know- 
ins:  that  God  had  sworn  with  an  oath  to  him,  that  of 
^  15* 


174  MEDITATION  X. 

the  fruit  of  his  loins,  according  to  the  flesh,  he  woulcl 
raise  up  Christ  to  sit  on  his  throne  ;  he,  seeing  this 
before,  spake  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  that  his  soul 
was  not  left  in  hell,  neither  did  his  flesh  see  corruption." 
The  passage,  therefore,  refers  primarily  to  Christ,  and 
we  may  regard  it  as  expressing  that  faith  in  God's 
covenant  promise,  by  which  he  was  animated  to  "  en- 
dure the  cross,  despising  the  shame."  But  the  cove- 
nant promise  was  not  made  to  Christ  alone, — it  was 
made  to  him  as  the  head  of  his  hody  the  Church,  and 
on  behalf  of  all  his  believing  people  ;  and  as,  through 
grace,  they  are  made  partakers  of  his  reward,  and  shall 
share  in  the  glory  of  his  resurrection,  the  words  are 
equally  applicable  for  the  use  and  comfort  of  each  of 
his  believing  followers ;  and  in  the  exercise  of  a  simple 
faith  in  him,  they  may  appropriate  his  language  to 
themselves  and  say,  "  Thou  wilt  show  me  the  path  of 
life  :  in  thy  presence  is  fulness  of  joy ;  at  thy  right 
hand  there  are  pleasures  for  evermore.** 

"When  viewed  in  reference  to  our  everlasting  pros- 
pects, these  words  may  be  regarded  as  descriptive  of 
the  perfection  of  that  happiness  which  is  in  reserve  for 
us  in  heaven.  To  perfect  happiness,  two  conditions 
are  essential :  Jirst^  That  in  point  of  amount,  it  be 
adequate  to  satisfy  our  capacities  and  desires  ;  and, 
secondlij^  That  in  point  of  duration,  it  be  so  permanent 
that  at  no  future  time  it  shall  forsake  us,  and  that  our 
comfort,  while  it  lasts,  may  not  be  diminished  or  dis- 
turbed by  the  fear  of  losing  it.  In  the  future  happi- 
ness of  believers,  both  of  these  conditions  are  secured ; 


MEDITATION  X.  175 

in  its  amount,  it  will  be  adequate  to  fill  all  our  capa- 
cities of  enjoyment, — "  in  thy  presence  is  fulness  of 
joy  ;"  and  in  its  duration,  it  will  be  permanent, — "  at 
tby  right  hand  are  pleasures ybr  evermore" 

The  FULNESS  of  this  happiness  will  consist  in  Its 
satisfying  the  desires,  and  perfecting  the  capacities  of 
our  immortal  nature ;  and  if  we  would  form  a  right 
estimate,  either  of  its  quality  or  its  amount,  we  must 
take  a  comprehensive  view  of  all  the  capacities  with 
which  that  nature  is  endowed.  Man  may  be  consi- 
dered in  several  distinct  aspects — as  a  sentient,  or  an 

INTELLECTUAL,  Or  a  MORAL,  Or  a  SOCIAL,  Or  an  ACTIVE 

BEING.  In  each  of  these  aspects,  certain  capacities 
belong  to  him,  and  it  is  on  the  filling  and  perfecting  of 
all  these  capacities,  that  his  highest  happiness  depends. 
It  is  not  enough  that  one  class  or  order  of  his  capaci- 
ties be  satisfied,  if  the  rest  be  neglected,  or  denied  their 
proper  gratification  ;  for,  although  they  may  be  consi- 
dered distinctly,  they  do  not  exist  separately,  but  in  a 
state  of  combination,  and  from  their  combined  perfec- 
tion and  satisfaction  alone,  can  man  enjoy  all  that  such 
a  creature  is  capable  of.  It  is  not  enough,  whatever 
the  sensualist  may  say,  that  our  capacities  of  organic 
pleasure  be  gratified,  to  the  exclusion  of  the  higher  and 
nobler  enjoyments  that  are  peculiar  to  our  rational  and 
moral  nature  ; — every  object  around  us  may  be  such  as 
to  minister  delight  to  the  eye  and  the  ear,  yet,  in  the 
reign  of  intellectual  Ignorance,  or  In  the  play  of  unhal- 
lowed passions,  there  may  be  a  hell  within.  Nor  is  it 
enough,  whatever  the  stoic  may  say,  that  the  mind 


176  MEDITATI0>'  X. 

sliould  he  vreW  ordered,  and  the  passions  tamed,  for,  Ly 
the  constitution  of  our  nature,  we  are  both  sentient  and 
social  beings,  and,  as  such,  >ve  depend  for  the  perfec- 
tion of  our  interior  happiness  on  the  circumstances  of 
our  external  condition.  Nor  is  it  enouirh,  whatever  the 
philosopher  may  say,  that  the  intellect  be  highly  culti- 
vated, and  the  mind  stored  with  knowledge ; — this  is 
good,  but  insufficient  for  our  perfect  happiness,  unless, 
along  with  it,  we  have  hearts  filled  with  every  moral 
feeling,  society  in  harmony  with  our  taste,  and  such  ex- 
ternal accommodations  as  may  conduce  to  our  comfort. 
It  is  not  in  one  of  our  capacities  being  filled,  then,  but 
in  all  of  them  being  full,  that  our  happiness  consists ; 
and  what  the  Bible  affirms,  is,  that  our  condition  in 
heaven  will  be  such  as  to  secure  the  perfection  of 
every  faculty,  and  the  satisfaction  of  every  desire. 

The  SENTIENT  nature  of  man  will  then  be  perfected, 
and  surrounded  with  circumstances  fitted  to  minister  to 
its  enjoyment.  Much  of  our  happiness  depends  on  the 
state  of  our  sentient  nature,  and  still  more  is  derived 
through  means  of  it,  from  the  impressions  made  upon 
us  by  the  scene  in  which  we  live.  In  its  present  state, 
our  bodily  frame  is,  in  itself,  imperfect.  It  is  vitiated 
by  disease,  liable  to  frequent  derangement,  and  easily 
overcome  by  fatigue ;  and  he  who  sums  up  the  emo- 
tions which  may  be  traced,  directly  or  indirectly,  to  the 
state  of  his  material  frame,  will  easily  discover  how 
very  large  a  share  both  of  his  happiness  and  misery 
flows  from  this  source  alone.  The  diffirence  betwixt 
the  enjoyment  arising  from  a  state  of  vigorous  health. 


MEDITATION  X.  177 

to  Tvlilcli  every,  even  the  most  ordinary  element  of  na- 
ture, ministers  gratification,  and  tlie  misery  arising  from 
sickness  or  disease,  which  interrupts  every  mental  ex- 
ercise, and  tinges  every  object  with  gloom,  is  so  great, 
that  for  health,  men  would  esteem  it  a  cheap  purchase 
to  exchange  all  the  business,  and  wealth,  and  honour  of 
the  world  :  but  great  as  is  the  difference  betwixt  these 
two  states  of  our  sentient  nature  on  earth,  the  differ- 
ence will  be  still  greater  betwixt  even  the  most  vigor- 
ous and  healthy  body  here,  and  the  state  of  our  frame 
in  heaven.  There,  our  sentient  nature  will  be  made 
perfect ;  freed  from  every  tendency  to  disease  or  decay, 
and  from  every  accidental  evil :  "  It  is  sown  in  cor- 
ruption, it  is  raised  in  incorruption ;  it  is  sown  in  dis- 
honour, it  is  raised  in  glory ;  it  is  sown  in  weakness, 
it  is  raised  in  power ;  it  is  sown  a  natural  body,  it  is 
raised  a  spiritual  body."  "  They  shall  hunger  no  more, 
neither  thirst  anymore;"  "there  shall  be  no  more 
pain,  neither  crying  nor  tears ;  but  God  shall  wipe 
away  all  tears  from  their  eyes." 

In  whatever  scene  a  body  so  constituted  might  be 
placed,  it  would  be  incomparably  more  conducive  to 
happiness,  than  the  finest  scene  could  be  to  a  diseased 
or  disordered  frame ;  but,  while  happiness  will  spring 
from  the  healthy  and  perfect  state  of  our  sentient  na- 
ture itself,  we  are  taught  in  Scripture  that  the  external 
scene,  from  which  it  will  derive  its  impressions,  will  be 
adapted  to  its  state,  so  as  to  minister  to  its  enjoyment. 
We  read,  not  only  of  a  new  body,  "but  of  a  new 
xieaven  and  a  new  earth,"  where  there  shall  be  no  more 


178  MEDITATION  X. 

curse."  The  present  -vvorlcl,  beautiful  and  varied  as  it 
is,  is  but  an  imperfect  specimen  of  creation ;  for  God 
cursed  the  ground  for  man's  sake,  and  the  whole  crea-' 
tion  groaneth  and  travaileth  under  it ;  but  if  this  world, 
so  cursed,  be  yet  so  beautiful,  ^vhat  must  heaven  be, 
the  immediate  residence  of  God  !  No  human  eye  hath 
rested  on  such  a  scene ;  it  hath  not  entered  into  the 
heart  of  man  to  conceive  what  God  hath  prepared  for 
them  that  love  him.  In  speaking  of  heaven,  the  sacred 
writers  seem,  as  it  were,  to  labour  for  expressions,  and 
by  heaping  together  every  figure  descriptive  of  earthly 
grandeur  or  beauty,  to  convey  to  our  minds  some  ana- 
logical sense  of  its  glory.  The  new  Jerusalem  is  de- 
scribed as  a  city,  "its  foundation  laid  in  precious  stones, 
its  walls  of  jasper,  its  gates  of  pearls,  its  streets  of  pure 
gold,  like  transparent  glass;"  at  another  time  it  is 
spoken  of  as  "an  inheritance,  incorruptible,  undefiled, 
and  that  fadeth  not  away;" — the  scenery,  the  music, 
the  living  fountains  of  heaven,  are  rather  mentioned 
than  described ;  but  we  may  rest  assured  that  it  will 
furnish  ample  gratification  to  every  capacity  of  our 
sentient  nature,  in  so  far  as  the  capacities  of  that  nature 
shall  survive  the  dissolution  of  our  material  frame. 

As  an  INTELLF.CTUAL  being,  man  is  capable  of  a  still 
higher  happiness.  Knowledge,  in  all  its  various  forms, 
is  the  object, — Truth,  immortal,  imperishable  Truth, 
the  proper  aliment  and  solace  of  his  mind.  By  this 
capacity,  he  is  raised  immeasurably  above  the  rank 
of  mere  sentient  beings,  and  takes  his  place  among  the 
intelligences  of  heaven.     But  here,  this  source  of  pure 


MEDITATION  X.  179 

and  lofty  enjoyment  is  imperfect,  partly  by  reason  of 
the  defectiveness  of  vision  and  the  blindness  of  under- 
standing which  have  followed  as  a  consequence  of  sin; 
partly,  also,  hy  reason  of  the  prejudices  preventing  the 
full  view  and  the  free  admission  of  truth,  which  spring 
from  the  disordered  state  of  his  passions,  and  the  de- 
fective nature  of  his  educational  discipline;  partly,  also, 
by  reason  of  the  necessary  conditions  of  his  present 
state,  in  which  he  must  walk  by  f^iith  and  not  by  sight, 
and  is  prevented  by  the  necessity  of  daily  toil,  and  by 
the  numerous  calls  of  appetite  or  business,  from  im- 
proving to  the  uttermost  even  those  means  of  know- 
ledge which  are  within  his  reach.  But  in  heaven,  all 
these  defects  and  obstacles  will  be  removed ;  his  mind 
being  then  disengaged  from  the  contact  of  a  gross 
eartbly  body,  and  fitted  with  a  new  and  spiritual  one, 
will  be  aided  by  it,  rather  than,  as  now,  hindered  in 
the  search  of  truth  ;  his  moral  nature  ])eing  restored  to 
order  by  the  eradication  of  every  unholy  passion,  will 
leave  his  intellect  to  act  in  freedom  and  unfettered, 
while  the  subjects  of  thought  will  be  presented  in  all 
their  reality  and  vastness  before  him,  and  those  things 
will  then  be  disclosed  which  are  now  concealed.  God 
and  his  works,  both  in  the  wide  domain  of  creation, 
and  in  the  boundless  course  of  providence,  will  furnish 
ample  scope  for  his  inquiries.  New  associates,  with 
knowledge  acquired  in  other  ages,  and  perhaps  in  other 
worlds,  will  be  found  at  once  to  stimulate  his  diligence, 
and  to  enrich  him  with  information ;  and  the  human 
mind,  thus  situated,  seems  to  have  no  limit  to  its  ad- 


180  . MEDITATION  X. 

vanceraent,  but  a  prospect  of  endless  progression  in  tbe 
acquirement  of  Truth. 

As  a  MORAL  being,  man  is  capable  of  intense  misery, 
or  of  refined  enjoyment,  according  to  the  nature  of  those 
feelings  or  passions  -which  prevail  in  his  bosom.    Anger, 
■wrath,  malice,  lust,  envy,  jealousy,  revenge, — these 
elements-  of  unholy  passion  make  the  human  heart  an 
inward  hell,  and  deprive  him  of  the  power  of  enjoying 
either   sensible  or  intellectual  gratification,  blasting 
prosperity,  and  making  life  itself  a  burden.     But,  on 
the  other  hand,  when  the  mind  is  filled  with  love — 
■with  lore  to  God,  with  love  to  others, — when  the  heart 
is  pure,  the  will  resigned,  the  temper  meek — these  are 
the  elements  of  a  happiness,  which,  as  being  Interior 
to  the  mind  itself,  no  outward  accident  can  destroy — 
they  are  the  springs  of  perennial  peace.     This  moral 
happiness  may,  like  the  enjoyments  formerly  mentioned, 
he  tasted  on  earth ;  but  here,  like  them  also,  it  is  im- 
perfect, even  in  the  maturcst  believers.     The  remains 
of  indwelling  sin,  the  roots  of  bitterness,  are  still  In  the 
heart,  and  the  graces  of  the  Christian  character,  al- 
though implanted  and  watered  by  the  Spirit,  are  weak 
and  sickly.     But  in  God's  presence  this  joy  will  be 
full.    No  evil  passion  shall  enter  heaven  along  with  us. 
Into  that  high  sanctuary  nothing  shall  enter  that  de- 
fileth,  or  worketli  abomination.     It  is  an  asylum  for 
pure  and  holy  spirits — the  spirits  of  just  men  made 
perfect.     Not  the  prevailing  power  only,  but  the  very 
presence  of  sin  shall  be  abolished  for  ever.     That  is  a 
great  change  which  takes  place  on  earth  when  a  sinner 


MEDITATION  X.  181 

IS  converted  unto  God ;  when  his  eyes  are  first  opened, 
and  he  is  turned  from  darkness  unto  light,  delivered 
from  the  bondage  of  corruption,  and  brought  into  the 
moral  liberty  wherewith  Christ  makethhis  people  free. 
That  is  a  great  change, — for  the  dominion  of  sin  is 
then,  for  the  first  time,  broken,  and,  from  being  the 
servant  of  Satan,  the  convert  becomes  the  servant  of 
God.  By  that  change  he  is  translated  from  a  state  of 
guilt  and  condemnation,  into  a  state  of  grace.  But 
another  transition  is  necessary  to  perfect  his  blessed- 
ness,— ^he  must  be  translated  from  a  state  of  grace  into 
a  state  of  glory.  In  the  former,  his  sanctification  is 
imperfect,  his  moral  affections  are  as  yet  but  feeble, 
frequently  interrupted  in  their  exercise,  and  their  happy 
influence  impaired  by  the  remains  of  indwelling  sin. 
The  believer  is  engaged,  while  he  lives  here,  in  a  con- 
tinual conflict  with  his  own  corruptions,  and  with  the 
power  of  moral  evil  on  every  side  of  him.  But  that 
conflict  ends  with  death, — then  the  very  being  of  sin 
in  his  soul  will  be  destroyed,  and,  released  from  all  the 
fetters  by  which  he  is  now  bound,  and  from  all  the  ob- 
stacles by  which  his  progress  is  now  retarded,  he  enters 
on  a  career  of  uninterrupted  and  perfect  holiness.  "  He 
shall  be  presented  faultless  and  blameless  before  the 
presence  of  his  God,  with  exceeding  joy ;"  for  "  Christ 
loved  the  Church,  and  gave  himself  for  it,  that  he  might 
sanctify  and  cleanse  it,  and  present  it  to  himself  a 
glorious  Church,  without  spot  or  wrinkle,  or  any  such 
thing."  The  completion  of  our  sanctification,  the  ab- 
solute perfection  of  our  moral  nature  in  heaven,  will 


182  MEDITATION  X. 

be,  in  itself,  one  of  the  chief  sources  of  our  happiness, 
as  "vvell  as  a  means  of  qualifying  us  for  the  enjoyment 
of  all  the  other  springs  of  comfort  -svith  "vvhich  heaven 
is  filled. 

There  is  a  vast  difterence  hetwixt  the  state  of  h*e- 
lievers  on  earth,  and  their  state  in  heaven, — hetween 
sanctification  begun  through  grace,  and  sanctification 
perfected  in  glory.  Here,  holiness  appears  as  in  its 
first  dawn,  like  the  morning  twilight  gradually  pro- 
gressive, indeed,  and  the  harbinger  of  "  perfect  day," 
yet  still  dim  and  obscure,  and  frequently  overspread 
"with  clouds ;  but  there  it  shall  shine,  in  meridian  splen- 
dour, a  sun  without  decline.  Here,  the  power  of  in- 
dwelling sin,  although  broken,  is  not  destroyed ;  the 
growth  is  checked,  but  the  roots  remain  deep  in  the 
heart.  There,  not  only  the  reign,  but  the  presence  of 
Bin  shall  be  abolished,  and  every  lust  shall  not  only 
he  repressed,  but  eradicated  for  ever.  Here,  from  the 
constitution  of  human  society,  and  the  circumstances  of 
human  life,  the  believer  is  surrounded  with  temptation, 
and  apt  to  be  either  terrified,  or  ridiculed,  or  seduced 
into  sin.  There,  no  temptation  shall  be  presented, 
but,  on  the  contrary,  every  influence  from  without  shall 
be  favourable  to  the  stability  and  progress  of  lioliness. 
Above  all,  here,  the  believer,  while  he  is  in  part  trans- 
formed into  the  image  of  Christ,  by  the  partial  and  ob- 
scure views  which  lie  is  enabled  to  obtain  of  his  glorious 
character,  yet  as  he  "  sees  only  through  a  glass  darkly," 
Christ's  image  on  his  soul  is  imperfect,  in  proportion 
as  his  knowledge  is  defective  •  but  there,  "  he  shall  see 


MEDITATION  X.  183 

face  to  face,"  and  "  when  Christ  shall  appear,  he  shall 
be  like  him,  for  he  shall  see  him  as  he  is." 

It  is  one  of  the  suhlimest  doctrines  of  Scripture  that 
men  may  become  like  to  God  himself,  in  point  of  char- 
acter. And  can  we  anticipate  such  a  result,  without 
seeing  that  it  is  the  highest  perfection  of  our  moral  na- 
ture, and  a  source  of  the  most  exalted  satisfaction  and 
happiness  ?  "I  shall  be  satisfied  when  I  awake  in  thi/ 
likeness"  says  the  Psalmist, — satisfied  not  till  then, 
for  our  nature  is  not  perfected,  nor  its  high  capacities 
filled,  if  we  rest  short  of  this ;  but  then,  satisfied  to  the 
full ;  for  what  higher  attainment,  or  what  nobler  hap- 
piness, can  any  created  being  desire,  than  a  character 
conformed  to  the  character  of  God  ? 

While  these  views  of  the  character  of  the  redeemed 
address  a  very  solemn  warning  to  those  who  are  still 
disposed  to  cherish  their  evil  passions,  they  are  fitted 
to  encourage  and  comfort  the  minds  of  believers,  whose 
chief  burden,  while  they  remain  on  earth,  is  the  power 
of  indwelling  sin.  For  it  assures  them,  that  each  of 
them  will  then  be  perfect, — perfect  up  to  the  full  ca- 
pacity of  their  moral  nature.  And  how  cheering  is  it 
to  the  man  who  is  daily  struggling  against  his  corrup- 
tions, to  know  that  his  struggle  will  end  in  victory ! 
How  animating  to  him  who  is  daily  mourning  over  his 
backslidings,  to  know  that  he  will  soon  be  confirmed 
in  a  state  of  unchangeable  integrity !  and  how  consoling 
when  he  looks  on  his  best  righteousness  here  as  "  filthy 
rags,"  to  anticipate  the  time  when  he  shall  be  arrayed 
"  in  white  robes  !"      And  it  adds  to  his  consolation, 


184  MEDITATION  X. 

that  aU  around  him  will  be  equally  holy  ;  that,  amidst 
that  innumerable  multitude,  not  one  envious,  nor  un- 
charitable, nor  sensual,  nor  rebellious  spirit,  shall  be 
found  ;  not  one  who  will  ridicule  his  principles,  or 
seek  to  seduce  him  from  his  piety,  but  all  shall  be  of 
one  heart,  and  of  one  mind,  and  mutual  helpers  of  each 
other's  holiness  and  joy.  And  how  consoling,  even 
now,  to  those  who  have  lost  near  and  dear  friends,  is 
the  reflection,  that  if  they  were  prepared  for  their  de- 
parture, they  are  already  placed  beyond  the  reach  of 
many  evil  influences  to  which  they  were  here  exposed, 
and  admitted  into  a  company  of  the  holiest,  and  best, 
and  happiest  spirits  in  the  universe  !  Had  we  been 
called  to  leave  them  behind  us  in  this  world,  our  anxiety 
must  have  been  great  as  to  the  influence  of  that  mixed 
society,  and  those  evil  examples  to  which  they  would 
he  exposed  after  our  departure  ;  but  there,  they  shall 
meet  with  no  unkindness,  no  harsh  word  shall  disturb 
their  serenity,  no  deceitful  friendship  wound  their  feel- 
ings, no  seductions  sap  their  principles,  but,  being 
received  and  Avelcomed  by  "  the  just  made  perfect,** 
they  are  safe  up  in  heaven.  And,  finally,  if  we  can 
discern  in  our  own  spirits  any  evidence  of  sanctifica- 
tion,  let  us  cherish  it  as  the  first  dawn  of  that  holy  light 
"which  shall  issue  in  everlasting  day ;  the  springing 
blade  which  shall  blossom  in  heaven  ;  the  earnest  and 
pledge  of  the  perfection  of  our  nature  ;  nay,  as  the  first 
faint  beginning  of  that  character  which  shall  be  per- 
fected on  hiffh.  Oh  I  with  what  reverence  should  a 
Christian  regard  his  own  soul,  if  it  be  now  putting  on 


MEDITATION  X.  185 

the  robe  in  wlilcli  it  shall  appear  before  the  throne, 
and  how  careful  to  guard  that  principle  of  grace  within 
him,  which  is  the  germ  of  future  glory ! 

As  a  SOCIAL  being,  man  is  dependent  on  the  society 
with  which  he  mingles  for  a  very  large  share  of  his 
personal  happiness.  By  sympathy,  he  is  so  connected 
with  others,  that  he  must  often  weep  when  they  weep, 
and  rejoice  when  they  rejoice.  By  this  natural  instinct, 
he  shrinks  from  the  contemplation  of  extreme  suffer- 
ing, and  feels  his  happiness  increased  by  the  happi- 
ness of  those  around  him  ;  and,  by  his  moral  nature, 
the  believer  is  disqualified  from  enjoying  the  company 
of  the  wicked,  and  yearns  after  the  fellowship  of  those 
who  have  kindred  principles  and  feelings  with  his  own. 
This  is  the  ground  of  that  strong  love  which,  notwith- 
standing their  petty  differences,  subsists  betwixt  all  the 
sincere  disciples  of  Christ  on  earth.  But  here  the  en- 
joyment of  Christian  fellowship  is  marred  by  various 
causes,  arising  from  the  imperfection  both  of  our  pre- 
sent condition,  and  of  our  Christian  graces  ;  partly  by 
the  diversities  of  opinion  which  flow  from  the  limited 
range  of  our  present  vision,  or  the  undue  influence  of 
prejudice  ;  partly  by  the  difficulty  of  discovering  the 
true  followers  of  Christ  in  the  midst  of  so  many 
nominal  or  false  professors,  and  the  suspicion,  or  at 
least  the  caution,  which  frequent  disappointment,  in 
this  respect,  is  fitted  to  inspire  ;  partly,  also,  by  the 
obstacles  which  the  necessary  business  of  life,  or  the 
established  distinctions  betwixt  different  classes  of  men, 
interpose  to  that  free  intercourse  on  which  the  enjoy- 

M 


18C  MEDITATION  X. 

jncnt  of  society  depends ;  and,  most  of  all,  l)y  the 
weakness  of  love,  l)otli  on  our  part,  and  on  the  part 
of  otliers.  But  all  these  impediments  to  social  hap- 
piness shall  he  removed  in  heaven.  Tliere,  our  little 
prejudices,  Avhether  against  persons  or  parties,  shall 
disappear.  There,  we  shall  he  in  no  danc^er  of  mis- 
placing our  confidt^nce,  or  of  heing  deceived  hy  hollow 
professors,  hut  "  shall  know,  even  as  also  Ave  arc 
known."  There,  if  there  he  not  a  perfect  equality  in 
point  of  capacity  or  dignity,  tliere  will  at  least  be  no 
pride  on  the  one  hand,  and  no  servile  fear  on  the 
other;  and  there,  altove  all,  love — pure,  generous, 
disinterested  love — which  is  the  cement  of  all  happy 
society,  shall  bum  in  every  bosom,  and  prompt  every 
V'ord  and  action.  Oh  !  blessed  season,  when  the  strifes 
of  this  lower  world  shall  cease,  and  he  f)rgotten,  and 
"when,  superior  to  ev(>ry  prejudice  and  passion,  we  shall 
dwell  as  hrethnm  together  in  unity  ! 

And,  consider  how  perfect  that  society  will  be,  in 
which  no  ungodly,  or  ungrateful,  or  treacherous  per- 
son shall  hef  )und,  hut  in  which  we  shall  hold  converse 
with  all  the  wisest  and  best  men  that  ever  existed  on 
the  earth, — with  the  patriarchs,  and  j)ro]»hets,  and  saints 
of  old, — with  the  apostles,  and  confessors,  and  martyrs 
of  our  faith, — with  the  reformers,  and  witnesses  for 
God's  truth,  in  all  nations  and  ages, — with  every 
man  that  ever  loved  God,  and  his  Christ,  throughout 
the  whole  world.  Other  orders  of  intelligent  bein;,i 
will  also  he  there, — angels,  archangels,  seraphim  and 
cherubim;  ministering  spirits,  who,  while  we  sojourned 


MEDITATION  X.  187 

on  earth,  watched  over  us  as  the  heirs  of  salvation, 
rejoicing  witli  joy  in  the  presence  of  God  at  our  con- 
version :  Iiovv  shall  they  rejoice  with  us,  on  our  intro- 
duction into  glory  !  Huch  society,  so  free  from  ev(^ry 
intermixture  of  hase  alloy,  and  so  replete  with  the 
means  of  highest  instruction,  and  with  the  spirit  of 
loftiest  principle,  shall  sur(;ly  constitute  one  of  the 
sweetest  springs  of  hapj)in(,'ss  in  heaven. 

In  reference  to  the  society  of  heaven,  it  is  well 
"Worthy  of  heing  considered,  that  in  it  will  he  found  the 
greatest,  the  wisest,  and  the  hest,  from  every  nation  and 
of  every  age.  It  is  one  of  the  chief  glories  of  heaven, 
indeed,  that  it  is  not  confined  to  the  great  or  the 
learned  of  this  world  ;  hut  neither  is  it  exclusive  of 
them.  AVhile  every  humble  and  simple-hearted  Chris- 
tian will  he  admitted,  however  limited  may  he  his 
attainments,  and  however  undistinguished  his  name, 
and  while,  untpiestionahly,  the  grand  distinction  of 
their  character  is  that  which  is  common  to  them  all, 
viz.,  tlieir  resemblance  to  Cod  in  the  moral  disposi- 
tions and  affi.'ctlons  of  their  h(;arts,  yet  it  is  surely  an 
interesting  feature  in  our  future  prospects,  that  in 
heaven  we  shall  meet  with  those  great,  and  wise,  and 
holy  men,  whose  names  are  recorded  in  sacred  history, 
and  whos(;  example  has  been  thought  worthy  of  being 
held  up  for  our  encouragement  and  imitation  In  the 
house  of  our  pilgrimage.  It  is  specially  mentioned  by 
our  Lord  himself,  that  when  Lazarus  died  he  was 
carried  by  angels  into  the  presence  of  Abraham,  the 
father  of  the  faithful ;  and  what  Christian  docs  not 


188  MEDITATION  X 

feel  his  spirit  elevated  and  cheered  hy  the  prospect  of 
meeting,  not  only  the  venerable  patriarchs  and  pro- 
phets of  the  Jewish  Churcli,  but  the  apostles  and  first 
disciples,  the  confessors  and  martyrs,  who  in  every  age 
have  witnessed  a  good  confession,  and  in  every  land 
bequeathed  their  heroic  example  as  a  legacy  to  the 
Church  of  Christ  ?  Heaven  is  the  asylum,  the  home 
of  all  these  mighty  and  noble  spirits.  They  appeared 
at  intervals,  and  were  often  widely  separated  on  earth, 
but  they  are  now  met  in  that  holy  place,  to  which, 
however  unworthy,  we  also  are  invited  to  aspire. 

And  "  if,  as  holiest  men  have  deem'd  there  be, 
A  land  of  souls  beyond  that  sable  shore, 
To  shame  the  doctrine  of  the  Sadducee, 
And  Sophists  madly  vain  of  dubious  lore  ; 
How  sweet  it  were  in  concert  to  adore 
"With  those  who  made  our  mortal  labours  light, 
To  hear  each  voice  we  fear'd  to  hear  no  more. 
Behold  each  mighty  shade  reveal'd  to  sight, 
The  Bactrian,  Samiau   Sage,  and  all  who  taught  the 
right." 

But  not  less  interesting  is  the  prospect  of  finding 
amongst  the  society  of  heaven,  the  pious  relatives  and 
friends  whom  we  have  lost  on  earth.  That  is  indeed 
a  transcendent  vision, 

"  Which  paints  the  lost  on  earth  re>ived  in  heaven," 

and  yet  not  more  transcendent  than  true.  For  the 
apostle,  designing  to  comfort  the  brethren  respecting 
them  that  are  asleep,  points  to  their  meeting  again  and 


MEDITATION  X.  ^89 


speiidln^  ail  eternity  together  in  lieaven,  as  a  reason 
why  believers  should  not  sorrow  for  the  dead  as  those 
who  have  no  hope.  «  For  if  we  believe  that  Jesus 
died  and  rose  again,  even  so  them  also  which  sleep  m 
Jesus  will  God  bring  with  him.  For  the  Lord  him- 
self shall  descend  from  heaven  Avith  a  shout,  with  the 
voice  of  the  archangel,  and  with  the  trump  of  God; 
and  the  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first :  Then  we  which 
are  alive  and  remain  shall  be  caught  up  together  with 
them  in  the  clouds,  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air ;  and 
so  shall  we  ever  be  with  the  Lord.^  Wherefore  com- 
fort one  another  with  these  words." 

As  death  does  not  destroy,  but  is  rather  the  occa- 
sion of  perfecting,  the  essential  faculties  of  human 
pature,  and  as,  among  other  faculties,  we  learn  from 
various  intimations  of  Scripture  that  memory  will  be 
preserved,  we  cannot  doubt  that  friends  will  remember 
and  recognise  each  other  in  heaven :  and,  oh !  what 
joyful  congratulations  must  then  be  interchanged  be- 
twixt parents  and  children,  brothers  and  sisters,  friend 
and  friend,  who  have  mutually  prayed  for  each  other 
on  earth,  and  ofttimes  feared  for  each  other's  welfare, 
when,  victorious  over  every  enemy,  and  having  sur- 
mounted every  difficulty  or  danger,  they  shall  meet 
around  the  throne  in  heaven  !     Here,  what  deeper 
emotion  can  swell  the  heart  of  a  Christian  parent, 
than  that  which  arises  from  the  first,  though  faint, 
dawnings  of  grace  in  the  bosom  of  a  beloved  child  ? 
but  deep  as  is  the  joy  of  such  a  parent,  he  is  depressed 
hy  the  thought  that  the  heart  of  his  child  is  deceit- 


190  MEDITATION  X. 

fill,  that  he  is  surrounded  Avith  snares,  that  soon  he 
may  be  left  alone  in  the  Avorkl,  \vithout  the  benefit 
of  parental  care  or  counsel,  and  that,  like  too  many 
others,  he  may  make  shipwreck  of  faith  and  a  good 
conscience,  and  in  age  belie  the  promise  of  his  earlier 
years.  But  if  the  dawn  of  grace  create  joy,  what  must 
be  the  joy  of  meeting  that  child  in  glory;  especially 
when  it  is  considered  that,  henceforth,  no  temptation 
shall  assail,  and  no  enemy  disturb  his  principles  or  his 
happiness  for  ever  !  If,  on  earth,  a  parent  welcomes 
his  child  on  his  return  from  a  long  and  perilous  voyage, 
with  feelings  too  big  for  human  utterance,  what  shall 
be  the  joy  of  that  welcome  with  which  he  shall  be 
greeted  on  his  arrival  in  heaven,  by  those  friends 
who  are  there  before  him,  and  who  had  often  fasted, 
and  wept,  and  prayed,  even  while  they  could  as  yet 
scarcely  venture  to  hope,  for  his  salvation ! 

But,  besides  the  multitude  of  human  spirits  with 
whom  the  redeemed  shall  enjoy  happy  and  congenial 
fellowship,  their  society  embraces  several  other  orders 
of  intelligent  and  holy  beings,  who  shall  there  mingle 
with  them,  and  enhance  their  happiness.  AVe  find  in 
the  context  that  the  angels  and  seraphim  are  engaged 
in  the  same  act  of  religious  worship  with  the  redeemed 
from  the  earth.  When  the  redeemed  sing  the  song  of 
God  and  of  the  Lamb,  saying,  "  Thou  art  worthy  to 
take  the  book,  and  to  open  the  seals  thereof;  for  thou 
wast  slain,  and  hast  redeemed  us  to  God  by  thy  blood," 
the  apostle  adds,  "And  I  beheld,  and  I  heard  the  voice 
of  many  angels  round  about  the  throne;  and  the  nuui- 


MEDITATION  X.  191 

Ijer  of  them  was  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand,  and 
thousands  of  thousands ;  saying  -with  a  loud  voice, 
Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  to  receive  power, 
and  riches,  and  wisdom,  and  honour,  and  glory." 

And  as  they  are  represented  as  engaging  in  the  same 
services  in  heaven,  so  we  have  reason  to  believe  that 
the  redeemed,  while  they  were  on  the  earth,  were  the 
objects  of  their  interest  and  care  :  it  is  emphatically 
declared  by  our  Lord  himself,  that  "  there  is  joy  in 
heaven  amongst  the  angels  of  God  over  one  sinner 
that  repenteth ;"  that  "  the  angels  desired  to  look"  into 
the  mystery  of  man's  redemption,  and  were  employed, 
in  various  ways,  in  the  course  of  its  application,  as 
*' ministering  spirits  sent  forth  to  minister  to  them 
who  should  be  heirs  of  salvation."  Did  they  rejoice 
over  one  sinner  when  he  was  converted,  and  with 
what  joyful  welcome,  then,  will  they  receive  him  when 
he  arrives  In  heaven !  Did  they  minister  to  him  on 
earth  as  an  heir,  and  will  they  stand  aloof  from  him 
when  he  enters  on  the  possession  of  his  inheritance  ? 
It  cannot  be  ;  and  what  gives  a  peculiar  value  to  their 
society,  is,  that  they  have  been  for  ages,  and  perhaps 
in  very  different  parts  of  the  universe,  gathering  know- 
ledge of  God  and  of  his  works,  to  which,  on  earth,  the 
redeemed  had  no  means  of  access,  but  which  shall  be 
imparted  to  them  in  heaven ;  and  how  much  their 
higher  knowledge  must  add  to  the  information  of 
men,  cannot  require  to  be  proved. 

Here,  then,  is  a  glorious  prospect  opened  up  for  us, 
a  prospect  into  the  invisible  world,  a  world  peopled 


192  MEDITATION  X. 

"with  pure  and  happy  spirits  ready  to  receive  and  wel- 
come us  into  their  Llessed  society.  Yes,  we  are  called 
to  come  "  unto  !Mount  Sion,  and  unto  the  city  of  the 
living  God,  the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  and  to  an  innu- 
merable company  of  angels,  to  the  general  assembly 
of  the  church  of  the  first-born,  which  are  written  in 
heaven,  to  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect,  to 
Jesus  the  i\Iediator  of  the  New  Covenant,  and  to  God 
the  Judge  of  all."  How  should  such  a  prospect  raise 
us  above  the  sordid  cares,  and  low  ambitions,  and 
degrading  fellowships  of  the  present  world !  Let  us 
feel  ourselves  to  be  citizens  of  a  nobler  state,  members 
of  a  purer  society,  and  heirs  of  a  better  inheritance 
hereafter.  And  if  at  times  we  are  despised, — if  our 
names  are  unknown,  or  known  only  to  be  ridiculed 
by  men, — if  we  are  poor  and  insignificant  in  compari- 
son with  many  around  us,  let  the  prospect  of  our 
admission  into  the  society  of  heaven,  inspire  us  with 
a  just  sense  of  our  dignity  as  immortal  beings,  and 
preserve  us  both  from  aljjcct  thoughts,  and  from  de- 
grading subserviency. 

Man  is  an  active  being ;  and  some  suitable  em- 
ployment for  his  active  powers  seems  to  be  essential 
to  his  perfect  happiness.  This  will  be  supplied  by  the 
services  of  heaven.  "W^e  find  from  Scripture,  that  in 
such  services  the  angels  themselves  are  employed  ;— . 
sometimes  around  the  throne  on  high,  an  example  of 
which  wc  have  in  the  account  given  of  their  worship 
and  adoration ;  sometimes  on  missions  to  distant  parts 
of  God's  dominions,  an  example  of  which  we  have  in 


MEDITATION  X.  193 

tlieir  ministering  to  believers  on  earth.  It  is  presum- 
able that  men,  being  qualified  for  similar  services,  will 
be  similarly  engaged,  as  without  such  employment, 
some  faculties  of  their  nature  would  be  unoccupied, 
some  graces  of  their  character  unexercised,  and  some 
of  their  capacities  of  enjoyment  unfilled.  But  then, 
there  will  be  a  vast  difference  betwixt  the  nature  of 
their  employments  on  earth  and  in  heaven.  On  earth, 
their  faculties  are,  in  a  great  measure,  engrossed  with 
such  labours  as  are  necessary  for  the  mere  support  of 
physical  life ;  and  although,  even  in  a  state  of  inno- 
cence, man  was  placed  in  the  garden  to  dress  it  and 
to  keep  it,  the  extreme  amount  of  labour  which  is  now 
imposed  on  us  for  this  end,  is  the  effect  of  that  curse 
which  was  denounced  against  sin, — "  cursed  is  the 
ground  for  thy  sake ;  in  sorrow  shalt  thou  eat  of  it  all 
the  days  of  thy  life."  But  for  this  curse,  a  much 
smaller  amount  of  labour  might  have  sufiiced  for  the 
mere  support  of  life,  and  our  faculties  might  have  been 
left  free  to  engage  in  higher  pursuits.  It  is  true, 
that  this  curse  was  wisely  and  mercifully  imposed, — 
and  is  wisely  and  mercifully  converted  into  a  means 
of  preventing  the  much  greater  evils  which  must  have 
ensued,  had  man,  fallen  and  vicious,  been  under  no 
necessity  to  labour,  or  had  he  been  even  comparatively 
idle ;  for,  with  disordered  passions,  such  relaxation 
might  have  accelerated  the  growth  of  depravity,  which 
is  checked  by  the  hard  necessities  of  our  present  state ; 
but  here,  the  reason  of  the  curse  being  removed,  the 

curse  itself  shall  be  withdrawn, — "there  shall  be,** 

17 


1  94  MEDITATION  X. 

says  the  apostle,  "  no  more  curse.**  It  folloTV's,  there 
shall  no  longer  be  the  same  necessity  for  hard  and  un- 
intermitted  labour,  Avith  the  view  of  procuring  the 
mere  necessaries  of  life ;  and  thus  the  faculties  of  man, 
disengaged  from  inferior  pursuits,  shall  be  left  free  for 
higher  and  more  suitable  employments, — for  the  acf|ui- 
sition  of  knowledge,  for  the  study  of  God's  works  and 
ways,  and  for  such  services  as  God  may  be  pleased  to 
require  at  his  hands.  "What  these  services  will  be, 
"We  cannot  at  present  determine ;  but  we  may  rest  as- 
sured that  they  will  be  suitable  to  the  dignity  and 
greatness  of  the  immortal  mind,  and  will  mainly  con- 
sist in  acts  of  homage  to  God,  and  beneficence  to  one 
another. 

The  redeemed  shall  "serve  him  day  and  night  in 
his  temple."  In  one  sense,  indeed,  it  is  said  that 
there  is  "  no  temple  in  heaven,"  because,  in  so  far  as 
they  were  of  the  nature  of  means,  the  gifts  and  ser- 
vices of  the  church  on  earth  are  superseded  and  set 
aside,  when  the  grand  end  is  attained  in  heaven. 
Hence,  the  apostle  declares,  that  "  prophecies  shall  fail, 
and  tongues  shall  cease,"  there  being  no  farther  occa- 
sion for  such  means,  when  they  have  accomplished  the 
object  for  which  they  were  designed  ;  and  knowledge 
also,  such  knowledge  as  we  have  on  earth,  shall  vanish 
away  in  the  perfect  vision  of  God. 

But  religion  is  not  only  a  means,  it  is,  in  itself,  an 
end  ;  the  chief  end,  the  very  perfection  of  our  nature  ; 
and  religion  being  not  a  passive  but  an  active  prin- 
ciple, must  needs  have  its  appropriate  exercises  and 


MEDITATION  X.  195 

expressions  for  ever.  If  penitential  confession  shall 
no  longer  be  made,  it  shall  only  be  superseded  by 
songs  of  praise;  if  the  ordinance  of  preaching,  and 
the  use  of  the  sacrament  shall  be  abolished,  it  is  only 
because  no  one  shall  need  to  teach  another,  saying, 
"  Know  the  Lord,  for  all  shall  know  him,  from  the 
least  even  unto  the  greatest."  The  exercises  which 
are  appropriate  to  religion  as  a  means  of  preparation 
for  heaven,  shall  cease,  but  the  services  which  are 
essential  to  religion  as  a  living  and  everlasting  attri- 
bute of  human  nature,  shall  continue  for  ever. 

Heaven,  then,  will  perfect  all  the  faculties  and  fill 
all  the  capacities  of  the  human  soul ;  and  whether  we 
view  him  as  a  sentient,  or  an  intellectual,  or  a  moral, 
or  a  social,  or  an  active  being,  man  will  find,  that  "  iu 
God's  presence  there  is  fulness  of  joy." 

It  must  never  be  forgotten,  however,  that,  perfect 
as  the  constitution  of  our  nature,  and  ample  as  the  ex- 
ternal means  of  its  gratification  shall  then  be,  our  chief 
happiness  must  be  derived  from  God  himself.  No 
other  object  can  fully  satisfy  his  people  even  in  heaven. 

He  is  their  portion,  and  it  is  in  the  enjoyment  of  God 
as  their  chief  good,  aided,  as  that  enjoyment  will  then 
be,  by  full  manifestation  on  his  part,  and  free  commu- 
nion on  theirs,  that  their  everlasting  blessedness  shall 
mainly  consist.  He  is  the  object  of  their  supreme  love ; 
and  as  they  perceive  more  and  more  of  the  excellency 
of  the  divine  character,  they  will  love  and  delight  in 
it  the  more.  And  thus  shall  they  reach  the  chief  end 
of  their  bemg,  the  very  highest  perfection  of  their 


196  MEDITATION  X. 

nature,  which  consists  in  "glorifying  God  and  enjoying 
him  for  ever." 

For  this  end  thej  shall  be  placed  in  the  most  fa- 
vourable position, — "they  shall  stand  before  the  throne 
of  God," — in  his  "presence," — at  his  "right  hand." 
At  present,  clouds  and  darkness  are  round  about  the 
throne, — we  walk  by  faith,  not  by  sight, — but  then, 
we  shall  behold  what  has  heretofore  been  disclosed 
only  in  rare  and  imperfect  visions  to  some  of  his  in- 
spired ministers.  "What  Micaiah  beheld,  when  he  said, 
"  I  saw  the  Lord  sitting  upon  his  throne,  and  all  the 
hosts  of  heaven  standing  on  his  right  hand  and  on  his 
left;" — and  what  Ezekiel  beheld,  when  he  said,  "I 
looked,  and  behold  the  glory  of  the  Lord  went  up  from 
the  cherub,  and  stood  over  the  threshold  of  the  house, 
and  the  house  was  filled  with  the  cloud,  and  the  court 
VfdLS,  full  of  the  brightness  of  the  Lord's  glory  ;"— 
and  what  Isaiah  beheld  when  he  said,  "  I  saw  also  the 
Lord  sitting  upon  a  throne,  high,  and  lifted  up,  and  his 
train  filled  the  temple.  Above  it  stood  the  seraphim  : 
each  one  had  six  wings ;  with  twain  he  covered  his 
face,  and  with  twain  he  covered  his  feet,  and  with 
twain  he  did  fly.  And  one  cried  imto  another,  and 
said.  Holy,  Holy,  Holy,  Lord  God  of  Hosts;" — and 
what  Daniel  beheld,  when  he  said,  "  I  saw  in  the 
night  visions,  and,  behold,  one  like  the  Son  of  Man 
came  with  the  clouds  of  heaven,  and  came  to  the  An- 
cient of  Days,  and  they  brought  him  near  before  him. 
And  there  was  given  unto  him  dominion,  and  glory, 
and  a  kingdom,  that  all  people,  nations,  and  languages, 


MEDITATION  X.  197 

should  serve  him :  his  dominion  is  an  everlasting 
dominion,  -which  shall  not  pass  away,  and  his  kingdom 
that  which  shall  not  be  destroyed  ;** — and  what  John 
beheld  in  Patmos,  when  he  said,  "  I  was  in  the  Spirit ; 
and,  behold,  a  throne  was  set  in  heaven,  and  one  sat  on 
the  throne."  "  And  round  about  the  throne  were  four- 
and-twenty  seats ;  and  upon  the  seats  I  saw  four-and- 
twenty  elders,  and  they  had  on  their  heads  crowns  of 
gold.  And  out  of  the  throne  proceeded  lightnings,  and 
thunderings,  and  voices ;  and  there  were  seven  lamps 
of  fire  burning  before  the  throne,  which  are  the  seven 
Spirits  of  God ;" — all  this,  which  heretofore  has  been 
but  darkly  disclosed  in  visions,  and  much  more,  even 
"  the  unutterable  things  "  of  which  the  apostle  speaks, 
shall  be  laid  open — to  every  one  of  God's  people  in 
heaven. 

We  cannot  form  an  adequate  conception  of  that 
beatific  vision,  nor  of  the  manner  in  which  God's  glory 
shall  then  be  displayed.  But  heaven  is  every  where  in 
Scripture  represented  as,  in  a  peculiar  sense,  the  place 
of  Jehovah's  residence  ;  and,  in  comparison  with  the 
view  of  the  divine  glory  which  they  shall  enjoy  in  his 
immediate  presence,  the  apostle  declares  that,  on  earth, 
believers  see  only  through  a  glass  darkly,  but  then 
they  shall  see  face  to  face,  and  know,  even  as  also  they 
are  known.  In  that  sanctuary  of  the  imiverse — that 
Catholic  Church  of  perfected  minds — God's  glory  will 
be  visible  as  was  the  Sheckinah  in  the  temple  of  old. 

There  is  reason  to  believe  that,  in  more  than  one  of 

the  visions  already  referred  to,  it  was  the  mediatorial 
•'  17* 


198  MEDITATION  X. 

throne  which  the  prophets  saw,  and  Christ  who 
appeared  on  it.  Heaven  is  the  place  of  his  residence, 
and  there  "  every  eye  shall  see  him."  And  who  that 
loves  the  Redeemer  can  contemplate  the  prospect  of 
being  admitted  into  his  immediate  presence,  without 
the  deepest  emotions  of  holy  joy  !  Do  we  think  that 
those  were  highly  privileged  who  companied  with  him 
on  earth — who  looked  on  his  benignant  countenance — 
who  listened  to  his  gracious  words  ?  and  shall  Ave  not 
look  forward  with  exultation  to  the  prospect  of  spend- 
ing an  eternity  in  his  presence  !  "  The  Lamb  which 
sitteth  on  the  throne  shall  feed  them,  and  lead  them 
unto  living  fountains  of  water."  Do  we,  in  a  foreign 
land,  dwell  with  melancholy  fondness  on  the  recollec- 
tion of  a  beloved  friend  at  home  ;  and,  as  the  time  of 
our  necessary  absence  draws  near  its  close,  do  we,  with 
exulting  hope,  look  forward  to  the  prospect  of  meeting 
him,  and  think  little  of  the  danger  of  the  voyage  which 
shall  bring  us  near  to  him  ?  And  why  should  we  not, 
in  this  foreign  land,  remember  our  home  in  heaven,  and 
our  friend  and  benefactor  there,  and  surmount  the  fear 
of  that  passage  through  the  swellings  of  Jordan,  which 
will  bring  us  into  his  immediate  presence,  and  leave  us 
with  him  for  ever  ?  On  earth  our  hopes  may  be  dis- 
appointed— our  friend  may  be  changed — or,  ere  Ave 
arrive,  disease  and  death  may  have  done  their  Avork, 
and  Avhere  Ave  hoped  for  a  cheerful  Avelcome,  Ave  may 
find  Ills  house  desolate  and  deserted ;  or,  even  should 
we  find  our  friend,  yet,  the  first  happy  meeting  past, 
our  joy  is  chastened  by  the  thought  that  it  cannot  last, 


MEDITATION  X.  193^ 

•—we  may  perceive  the  symptoms  of  growing  decay, 
the  omens  of  speedy  dissolution ;  but  Christ  cannot 
change — his  affection  for  us  can  suffer  no  diminution 
. — and  once  admitted  into  his  presence,  we  "  shall  ever 
"be  with  the  Lord." 

But  full  as  this  joy  may  be,  and  adequate,  whilst  it 
lasts,  to  satisfy  every  capacity  of  our  nature,  its  worth 
would  be  materially  diminished  Avere  it  transient  or 
fleeting,  for  then  the  prospect  of  losing  it  would  be 
fraught  with  a  regret  proportioned  to  the  value  which 
we  set  upon  the  possession  of  it.  Were  the  spirits  of 
just  men  made  perfect  ever  so  happy,  yet  the  thought 
that  such  happiness  might  pass  away,  would,  of  itself, 
sadden  them.  There  is  no  room,  however,  for  such 
sad  forebodings  in  heaven.  There,  happiness  is  not 
less  permanent  than  complete, — "  these  pleasures  are 
for  evermore."  This  is  a  grand  characteristic  of  hea- 
ven,— it  is  a  constant,  unchangeable,  everlasting  state. 
On  earth,  riches  may  take  to  themselves  wings  and  flee 
away,  and  the  possessor  may  be  left  in  the  desolation  of 
poverty  ;  fame  may  be  blasted  by  our  own  indiscretion, 
or  by  the  malice  of  others,  and  leave  us  to  dishonour 
and  shame  ;  friendship  may  be  broken  up  by  intestine 
divisions,  or  by  successive  bereavements,  and  leave  us 
in  the  world  friendless  and  alone  ;  our  beloved  occupa- 
tions may  fail  us,  or  we  may  become  unlit  for  them  ; 
and,  even  were  health,  and  fortune,  and  fame,  and  busi- 
ness, as  stable  while  we  live,  as  every  day's  experience 
shows  them  to  be  transient,  yet  we  have  the  absolute 
and  unerring  assurance,  that  they  must  terminate  at 


200  MEDITATION  X. 

death.  But  eternity  is  an  attribute  of  heaven.  There, 
life  vfiW  be  everlasting,  and  every  thing  that  renders  a 
life  in  heaven  desirable,  "will  be  everlasting  too.  Our 
sentient  nature  will  never  decay — nor  our  intellectual 
vision  grow  dim — nor  our  moral  nature  become  dis- 
ordered— nor  our  society  be  reduced  by  disease  or 
death — nor  our  employments  come  to  an  end.  Eternity 
is  inscribed  on  them  all.  And  who  can  conceive  the 
magnitude  of  eternity  !  Had  we  lived  from  the  crea- 
tion downwards  to  the  present  time,  or  had  we  an 
assurance  that,  from  this  hour,  we  should  continue 
to  live  onward  till  the  earth  should  be  no  more,  these 
large  intervals  of  time  would  seem  to  afford  scope  for 
much  experience  and  enjoyment ;  but  what  are  these, 
or  any  other  measures  of  time,  when  compared  to 
eternity  !  The  vast  idea  is  too  great  for  our  limited 
comprehensions,  while  we  are  so  constituted,  that  we 
cannot  rid  ourselves  of  the  idea  of  infinity,  whether 
in  regard  to  space  or  time  ;  we  can  only  apprehend  it 
faintly,  by  means  of  inadequate  comparisons.  Who 
can  think  of  a  million  of  years,  or  a  million  of  cen- 
turies, without  awe  ?  But,  after  a  million  of  years,  or 
a  million  of  centuries,  shall  have  passed  away,  eternity 
will  be  still  before  us.  Oh  !  how  sublime,  Avhen  our 
prospect  is  an  eternity  in  heaven — how  unspeakably 
dreadful,  if  our  prospect  be  an  eternity  in  hell ! 

Let  us,  as  the  disciples  of  Christ,  think  much  on  our 
everlasting  hopes,  and  never  forget,  amidst  the  cares, 
and  distresses,  and  drudgery  of  the  world,  that  we  have 
immortal  spirits  within  us,  and  a  glorious  inheritance 


MEDITATION  X.  201 

before  us.  This  will  animate  us  to  persevere  in  the 
Christian  course,  unseduced  by  the  temptations,  and 
undeterred  by  the  ridicule  of  the  world.  It  will  give 
to  the  poor  man  an  ennobling  estimate  of  himself,  such 
as  may  preserve  him  from  debasing  habits,  or  a  ser^ale 
spirit,  and  will  cheer  the  toils  and  troubles  of  life,  with 
a  consolation  which  the  worldling  never  knew. 

The  exceeding  glory  of  this  prospect,  indeed,  is  apt 
to  stagger  the  faith  of  many  who,  feeling  their  own 
insignificance,  and  deploring  their  own  vileness,  can 
hardly  believe  that  such  a  destiny  awaits  them.  But 
is  the  predicted  glory  more  wonderful  than  what  God 
hath  already  wrought  ?  Is  it  more  wonderful  that  we 
should  be  exalted  to  heaven,  than  that  the  Son  of  God 
should  have  descended  from  it  ?  His  humiliation 
being  the  groundwork,  can  we  wonder  at  the  glorious 
superstructure  which  shall  be  reared  upon  it  ?  Nay, 
is  not  some  such  glorious  result  necessary  to  render 
that  complete  and  credible  which  has  already  been 
done?  For  what  worthy  end  was  the  sacrifice  of 
Christ  ofi'ered,  unless  some  grand  result  of  that  sacri- 
fice remains  yet  to  be  revealed?  Heaven  is  but  a. 
suitable  sequel  to  the  scheme  of  redemption ! — a  scene 
of  glory  bearing  a  due  proportion  to  the  work  of 
Gethsemane  and  Calvary ! — an  end  that  shall  at  once 
explain  and  justify  the  marvellous  means  by  which 
it  was  accomplished ! 

Does  such  a  glorious  place  exist  any  where  in  the 
universe  of  God !  Are  we  called  to  aspire  after  it, — 
and  is  it  possible  for  us  to  reach  it?    nay,  is  it  an 

N 


202  MEDITATION  X. 

inheritance  already  secured  for  us,  and  lias  our  great 
forerunner  gone  to  take  possession  in  our  name,  and 
to  prepare  it  for  our  reception  ?  Then,  why  should 
we  be  cast  down  or  dismayed  ?  Are  the  trials  of  life, 
or  the  terrors  of  death,  to  be  compared  with  the  ex- 
ceeding weight  of  glory  which  is  about  to  be  revealed  ? 
Shall  we  sink  or  falter  by  the  way,  when  we  know 
that  we  are  journeying  to  a  land  of  everlasting  rest, 
and  shall  soon  reach  our  eternal  home  ?  Shall  the 
dark  valley  of  death  affright  us,  when  we  see  beyond 
it  the  fields  of  immortality  smiling  in  the  verdure  of 
eternal  spring  ?  Destined  as  we  are  for  heaven,  shall 
we  grieve  or  murmur  that  the  earth  is  not  found  to  be 
a  suitable  resting-place  for  immortal  beings,  and  that 
God  checks  every  tendency  to  rest  here,  by  sharp  afflic- 
tions and  severe  disappointment?  God  forbid!  Heaven, 
seen  even  in  the  distance,  should  allure  us  onwards, 
and  its  glorious  light  should  cast  a  cheering  ray  over 
the  darkest  passages  of  life.  Nay,  not  only  should 
the  hope  of  heaven  prevent  us  from  complaining  of  the 
afflictions  of  life,  but  the  thought  that  tliose  afflictions 
are  even  now  preparing  us  for  that  blessed  state ;  that 
they  are  ordained  as  necessary  and  useful  means  of  dis- 
cipline to  promote  our  progress  towards  it ;  that  they 
are  the  furnace  by  which  the  dross  is  to  be  purged  away, 
and  the  pure  ore  fitted  for  the  Master's  use  in  the  upper 
sanctuary,  should  reconcile  us  to  resigned  submission, 
should  make  us  grateful,  that  such  discipline  being 
needful,  it  has  not  been  withheld,  and  lead  us  to  pray 
earnestly  that  it  maybe  s»  blessed  for  our  use,  as  that  wo 


MEDITATION  X.  203 

sliall  in  due  time  be  presented  faultless  and  blameless 
before  the  presence  of  God's  glory,  with  exceeding  joy. 
It  concerns  the  Christian  while  he  sojourns  in  the 
vale  of  tears,  to  be  much  engaged  in  meditating  on  the 
prospect  of  a  blessed  immortality,  since  this  subject, 
when  suitably  improved,  may  conduce  both  to  the  sta- 
bility of  his  principles,  and  the  settlement  of  his  peace. 
The  hope  of  heaven  is,  either  directly  or  indirectl}^  the 
source  of  all  the  happiness  which  the  believer  enjoys ; 
for,  says  the  apostle,  "  If  in  this  life  only  we  had  hope 
in  Christ,  we  were,  of  all  men,  most  miserable;" — 
it  is  his  best  support  under  sorrow,  for  never  does 
sorrow  appear  more  light  than  when  viewed  in  connec- 
tion with  "an  eternal  weight  of  glory  ;" — it  is  the  grand 
motive  to  a  persevering  warfare  agiiinst  sin,  and  a  dili- 
gent pursuit  after  holiness,  for,  "  if  the  dead  rise  not," 
why  should  he  not  follow  the  example  of  them  who 
say,  "let  us  eat  and  drink,  for  to-morrow  we  die;" — 
it  is  the  source  of  abundant  fruitfulness,  for  "  then  is 
he  stedfast  and  immovable,  always  abounding  in  the 
work  of  the  Lord,  when  he  knows  that  his  labour  shall 
not  be  in  vain  in  the  Lord."  Heaven  is  the  perfect 
state  of  the  Christian,  both  in  respect  of  character 
and  happiness ;  the  consummation  of  all  his  toils,  the 
finished  model  of  that  excellence,  after  which,  amidst 
all  the  darkness  which  now  obscures  his  vision,  and  the 
temptations  which  try  his  virtue,  and  the  sorrows  wliich 
chequer  his  course  on  earth,  he  still  aspires;  and  surely 
it  is  well  that  he  who  has  begun  the  race,  should  keep 
Iiis  eye  fixed  on  the  goal ;  that  he  who  hath  begun  the 


S04  MEDITATION  X. 

combat,  should  encourage  himself  by  the  glory  of  the 
coming  triumph  ;  and  that  he  who,  in  the  midst  of  sin, 
hath  formed  the  lofty  conception,  and  cherished  the 
pure  love  of  virtue,  should  behold  that  virtue  victori- 
ous, and  frequently  turn  his  thoughts  to  heaven,  where, 
■whatever  is  pure,  or  peaceable,  or  lovely,  is  embodied 
in  the  grand  result  of  his  present  labours,  and  where 
the  highest  perfection  of  holiness  is  combined  with 
the  noblest  kind,  the  largest  measure,  and  the  most 
enduring  certainty  of  blessedness.  He  who,  amidst 
the  imperfections  of  humanity,  aims  at  perfecting  his 
rational  and  immortal  nature,  and  seeks  to  find,  in 
the  elevation  of  his  moral  sentiments,  a  source  of 
pure  and  lasting  enjoyment,  may  well  be  encouraged 
by  the  thought,  that  others,  equally  guilty  and  helpless, 
have  succeeded  in  the  same  noble  enterprise  before 
him ;  and  he  who,  in  prosecuting  this  grand  design, 
is  apt  to  be  discouraged  by  finding  himself  in  a  small 
minority  on  earth,  may  well  draw  encouragement 
from  the  multitude,  which  no  man  can  number,  who 
are  around  the  throne  of  God.  Already  have  they 
weathered  the  storm  and  reached  their  destination ; 
and,  oh  !  it  is  cheering,  when  we  are  struggling  with 
the  storms  and  billows  of  this  mortal  life,  to  think, 
that  whatever  troubles  may  arise  to  distress  the  faith- 
ful, and  to  endanger  the  Church  on  earth,  already  the 
greater  portion  of  the  Church  is  safe  up  in  heaven, 
and  that  soon,  very  soon,  if  we  persevere,  we  shall  be 
added  to  their  number,  and  welcomed  as  their  "fellow- 
suflferers  and  fellow-conquerors  on  high." 


MEDITATION  XI. 

Fs.  cxix.  50. *•  This  is  my  comfoet  in  mine  affliction  :" 

"  Tlierefore  we  are  always  conjident,  knowing  that,  whilst  we  are 
at  home  in  the  body,  we  are  absent  from  the  Lord :  {For  we 
walk  by  faith,  not  by  sight ;)  We  are  confident,  I  say,  and 
willing  rather  to  be  absent  from  the  body,  and  to  be  present 
with  the  Lord.''— '2  Coa.  v.  6-8. 

That  "  the  souls  of  belieyers  are  made  perfect  at 
death,"  is  one  of  those  delightful  doctrines  which 
Scripture  clearly  teaches,  and  of  which  a  reyelation 
from  God  alone  could  give  us  full  assurance.  That 
the  soul  is  not  destroyed  "when  the  body  is  dissolved, 
— that  it  survives  the  decay  and  wreck  of  our  physical 
frame, — that  our  rational  and  moral  faculties  are 
neither  benumbed  into  a  state  of  insensibility,  nor 
suspended  in  their  exercise,  by  that  solemn  event 
which  terminates  our  connection  with  the  present 
world, — but,  on  the  contrary,  are  freed  from  every 
encumbrance  by  which  their  exercise  had  here  been 
cramped  or  interrupted,  and  translated  into  a  state 
wherein  they  shall  continue  to  expand,  and  act  with 
greater  vigour  than  before ; — ^these  are  some  of  the 


206  MEDITATION  XI. 

subliraest  truths  of  Scripture,  and  they  open  to  us  a 
prospect  which  has  no  limit — the  prospect  of  an  eter- 
nal existence — a  never-d}'ing  consciousness,  which,  as 
it  feeds  an  elevating  hope  respecting  the  future,  so  it 
should  teach  us  now  to  entertain  a  reverence  for  our- 
selves, as  beings  over  whom  death  itself  shall  have  no 
permanent  power.  It  Is  true,  we  must  submit  to  that 
humiliating  method  of  departing  out  of  this  world, 
which  God  has  imposed  as  the  wages  of  sin.  We  en- 
ter not  on  eternity  as  by  a  "  triumphal  march,"  *  but 
through  suffering,  and  agony,  and  shame.  The  body 
is  dissolved,  and  decays,  and  it  must  be  interred  in  the 
dark  and  lonesome  grave, — but  our  nobler  nature  sur- 
vives. Looking  on  the  agonies  of  dissolving  nature,  or 
on  the  dreary  stillness  which  succeeds,  we  might  have 
supposed,  that  here  was  a  final  period  of  conscious 
existence, — that  all  was  over  with  the  busy,  active,  and 
restless  spirit,  which,  for  years,  had  fluttered  amidst 
the  cares  or  pleasures  of  the  world ;  but  that  spirit  is 
not  dead^  it  is  departed^  and  will  appear  again  on 
another  scene. 

In  reference  to  believers,  the  apostle  distinctly 
affirms,  that  death  only  makes  a  change  in  the  resi- 
dence or  abode  of  the  never-dying  soul ;  that  hereto- 
fore it  was  at  home  in  the  body  and  absent  from  the 
Lord ;  but  at  death,  the  same  soul  is  absent  from  the 
body  and  present  with  the  Lord.  And  founding  on 
this  fact,  he  expresses  a  preference  for  the  latter  state, 
the  state  which  shall  come  after  death,  for  this  reason 
*  Da  Chalmers. 


MEDITATION  XI.  207 

■ — that,  in  our  present  condition,  both  our  character 
and  our  happiness  are  alike  defective ;  whereas,  in  our 
future  one,  both  our  character  and  our  happiness  shall 
be  better  and  more  secure. 

Now,  this  implies,  that  such  a  change  takes  place 
at  the  hour  of  death,  as  i§  fitly  denoted  by  the  differ- 
ence betwixt  an  imperfect  and  Si. perfect  condition,  and 
as  is  sufficient  to  warrant  a  desire  on  our  part,  to  enter, 
even  though  it  be  by  death,  on  that  more  perfect  and 
glorious  state.  "We  must  experience  it  before  we  shall 
be  able  to  describe  the  change  which  the  soul  under- 
goes at  the  hour  of  its  departure  from  the  body.  But 
there  are  two  considerations  which  may  help  us  to  see 
that  there  is  a  great  change,  and  that,  in  the  case  of 
the  believer,  it  is  a  change  for  the  better. 

The  first  is,  that  so  long  as  the  soul  is  united  to  the 
body,  and  dw^ells  upon  the  earth,  it  Is  in  a  situation 
which  subjects  it  to  great  difficulty,  and  exposes  It  to 
numerous  temptations  and  trials.  The  mere  presence  of 
the  body,  with  all  Its  numerous  wants  and  weaknesses, 
and  with  the  instincts  and  passions  which  an  animal 
existence  implies, — the  remaining  power  of  indwelling 
sin,  or  that  law  in  the  members  which  warreth  against 
the  law  of  the  mind, — the  presence,  too,  of  an  evil 
world,  which  exerts  an  unfavourable  influence  on  the 
spiritual  life, — and  above  all,  the  necessary  conditions  of 
our  present  state,  as  these  are  described  by  the  apostle, 

when  he  says,  "  we  walk  by  faith,  and  not  by  sight," 

and  again,  "  when  we  are  at  home  In  the  body,  we  are 
absent  from  the  Lord ;" — these  evils  or  defects,  which 


208  MEDITATION  XI. 

cleave  necessarily  to  the  believer  in  his  present  state, 
and  bj  -which  his  spiritual  progress  is  impeded,  and  his 
spiritual  comfort  impaired,  are,  all  of  them,  removed 
by  death,  seeing  that  then  the  soul  is  emancipated  from 
the  body,  delivered  out  of  an  evil  world,  and  no  longer 
retained  in  a  state  of  absencerfrom  God, — from  these  it 
is  delivered ;  and  that  is  one  important  consideration. 
The  second  is,  that  it  is  placed  at  death  in  another 
state,  as  favourable  to  its  holiness  and  happiness  as  the 
former  was  unfavourable ;  it  is  present  Avith  the  Lord, 
says  the  apostle,  and  no  longer  walks  by  faith,  but  faith 
has  been  converted  into  vision.  All  the  realities  of  the 
spiritual  world,  formerly  believed  in  on  the  testimony 
of  God,  are  now  disclosed  to  it,  and  its  own  sensible  ex- 
perience is  superadded  to  the  evidence  hitherto  enjoyed. 
This  is  the  clear  import  of  the  passage.  Believers 
may,  indeed,  be  said  to  excel  other  men  in  the  present 
State,  inasmuch  as,  while  others  walk  by  sight  of  things 
now  seen,  believers  walk  by  faith  of  things  unseen ;  but 
departed  believers  do,  in  like  manner,  excel  those  pre- 
sently on  the  earth,  seeing  that  while  the  latter  walk  by 
faith  and  not  by  sight,  the  former  have  something  more 
than  faith  itself,  they  have  a  personal  experience  and 
observation  in  that  better  world,  of  those  things  which 
we  only  believe.  And  hence  the  apostle,  contrasting  the 
present  with  the  future  state  of  believers,  says,  "  Now 
we  see  through  a  glass  darkly,  but  then  face  to  face. 
Now  we  know  in  j)art,  but  then  shall  we  know  even  as 
also  we  are  known.  When  that  which  is  perfect  is 
come,  then  that  which  is  in  part  shall  be  done  away 


MEDITATION  XI.  209 

This  change  In  the  condition  of  a  believing  soul, 
may  well  serve  to  account  for  its  being  now  made  per- 
fect ;  and  hence,  we  read  of  "  the  spirits  of  just  men 
made  perfect ;"  and  of  those  who,  having  washed  their 
robes  and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb, 
are  now  before  the  throne  of  God,  and  serve  him  day 
and  night  in  his  temple ;  who  hunger  no  more,  neither 
thirst  any  more ;  but  the  Lamb  which  is  in  the  midst 
of  the  throne,  feedeth  them,  and  leadeth  them  unto 
living  fountains  of  water,  and  God  wipes  away  all 
tears  from  their  eyes. 

Let  it  be  carefully  observed,  however,  that  the 
apostle  is  speaking  here  of  true  Christians  who  had 
undergone  the  great  initial  change  of  regeneration,  and 
in  whom  the  work  of  sanctification  had  made  some 
progress.  In  reference  to  them  he  says,  that  what  had 
hitherto  been  imperfect  in  their  state  and  character  is 
made  perfect  by  their  translation  out  of  this  world  into 
another  and  a  better.  But  death  is  not  a  means  of 
conversion  or  of  sanctification  in  itself,  and  can  have 
no  effect  in  ridding  those  of  their  corruptions  who  have 
cherished  them  all  their  lives  long,  and  who  die  im- 
penitent and  unpardoned.  The  dissolution  of  the  body 
has  no  efficacy  in  destroying  the  ruling  principles  of  any 
human  soul ;  it  only  changes  its  situation,  and  leaves 
those  principles  to  develope  themselves  more  freely  and 
more  fully  in  eternity.  And  hence,  while  a  converted 
and  sanctified  man  will  find  himself,  after  death,  re- 
lieved from  various  encumbrances  which  had  marred 

his  spiritual  progress  on  earth,  and  furnished  with  new 

18* 


210  MEDITATION  XI. 

and  better  facilities  in  heaven ;  an  unconverted  man, 
although  absent  from  the  body,  will  not,  on  that  ac- 
count, be  present  with  the  Lord  ;  but  "  being  banished 
from  his  presence,"  and  given  over  to  the  society  of 
reprobate  spirits,  his  vicious  character  will  still  cleave 
to  him,  and  the  bitterness  and  hopelessness  of  his 
condition  will  mainly  consist  in  his  being  left,  through 
eternity,  just  as  death  found  him, — the  willing,  but 
wretched  slave  of  his  own  lusts. 

The  apostle's  language  clearly  implies  that  the  souls 
of  believers  do  immediateli/  pass  into  glory.  Their 
disembodied  state,  it  is  true,  differs  widely,  both  from 
their  condition  on  earth,  and  from  their  ultimate  con- 
dition after  the  resurrection.  Their  bodies  are  for  a 
season  laid  in  the  grave,  and  shall  rest  there  till  the 
trumpet  shall  sound  and  the  dead  be  raised ;  and  their 
full  and  perfect  redemption  shall  not  be  realized,  till 
soul  and  body  shall  come  together  at  the  judgment  of 
the  great  day.  But  what  we  aflBrm  is,  that  even  their 
disembodied  state,  differing,  as  it  unquestionably  does, 
both  from  their  previous  and  their  ultimate  one,  is 
neither  a  state  of  insensibility,  nor  a  state  of  indecision, 
nor  a  state  of  probation  and  trial ;  but  that,  imme- 
diately on  their  leaving  the  body,  they  become  sensible 
of  their  condition,  and  are  admitted  to  partake  of  those 
pleasures  which  God  has  prepared  for  them  that  love 
him.  With  what  organs  they  are  furnished,  in  what 
form  they  live,  or  whether  any  new  form  is  bestowed 
upon  them,  is  no  where  clearly  pointed  out  in  Scrip- 
ture i  although,  from  the  case  of  Moses  and  EHas,  who 


MEDITATION  XI.  211 

appeared  Yislbly  along  with  our  Lord  on  the  Mount,  as 
"well  as  from  the  souls  whom  John  saw  under  the  altar 
in  the  Apocalypse,  and  the  vision  of  Lazarus  and 
Abraham,  represented  in  one  of  the  parables,  it  may  be 
presumed  that  some  visible  outward  form  is  given  to 
them ;  but  whatever  opinion  may  be  formed  on  these 
speculative  points,  and  respecting  which,  as  being  spe- 
culative, Scripture  gives  no  very  explicit  information, 
the  great  fact  is  revealed,  that  their  state  is  fixed  and 
settled  from  the  hour  of  each  man's  death ;  that  they 
are  sensible  of  that  state,  and  derive  from  it  a  measure 
of  happiness  far  transcending  any  which  the  maturest 
Christian  can  either  enjoy  or  hope  for  upon  the  earth. 
This  is  conclusively  established  by  the  apostle's  lan- 
guage. His  stiitement  is,  that  so  long  as  a  believer  is 
*'  at  home  in  the  body,  he  is  absent  from  the  Lord." 
He  represents  "presence  with  the  Lord"  as  immediate- 
ly conse(juent  on  our  departure  from  the  body,  other- 
wise there  could  be  no  ground  for  the  preference  which 
in  this  and  in  another  passage  the  apostle  expresses. 
Comparing  his  state  on  earth  with  that  which  would 
follow  immediately  on  the  dissolution  of  the  body,  he 
says,  "  we  are  willing  rather  to  be  absent  from  the 
body,  and  present  with  the  Lord  ; "  and  again,  "  I  am 
in  a  strait  betwixt  two,  having  a  desire  to  depart  and 
to  be  with  Christ,  which  is  far  better."  It  is  evident 
that  there  could  have  been  no  ground  for  the  apostle's 
hesitation  in  this  matter,  on  the  supposition  that  his 
death  was  not  to  be  followed  immediately  with  glory. 
If,  after  death,  we  were  to  remain  in  a  state  of  insensi- 


212  MEDITATION  XI. 

bllity  till  the  resurrection,  then  out  of  a  regard  to  his 
own  happiness,  and  from  the  strong  desire  which  he 
felt  to  he  useful  to  the  Church  on  earth,  he  must  have 
been  anxious  to  protract  the  term  of  his  mortal  pilgrim- 
age ;  and  no  reason  can  be  assigned  for  his  preferring 
death  to  life,  which  is  not  based  on  the  supposition, 
that  death  would  afford  an  immediate  introduction 
into  the  presence  of  God  and  of  Christ.  And  accord- 
ingly, thus  he  speaks  of  it,  "  absent  from  the  body,  and 
present  with  the  Lord," —  "  to  depart,  and  to  be  with 
Christ,  which  is  far  better." 

His  words  not  only  intimate,  that  believers  are  at 
death  made  perfect,  and  that  they  do  immediately  pass 
into  glory,  but  he  declares  his  willingness  to  depart, — 
"  we  are  willing  rather  to  be  absent  from  the  body, 
and  to  be  present  with  the  Lord." 

The  apostle  does  not  quarrel  with  the  present  life ; 
he  was  neither  discontented  with  the  world,  nor  re- 
luctant to  remain  in  it.  On  the  contrary,  in  stating 
his  willingness  to  depart,  he  is  careful  to  intimate  his 
entire  acquiescence  in  the  disposal  of  Providence,  as  to 
his  living  or  dying.  He  draws  a  comparison  betwixt 
his  present  and  his  future  state,  not  as  betwixt  a  bad 
and  a  good,  but  as  betwixt  a  good  and  a  better;  he 
prefers  heaven,  but  is  not  discontented  upon  the  earth ; 
he  would  rather  be  absent  from  the  body  and  present 
with  the  Lord;  but  so  long  as  God  had  work  for  him 
to  do,  he  was  prepared,  in  the  spirit  of  meek,  and 
patient,  and  resigned  submission,  to  say  with  Job,  "All 
the  days  of  my  appointed  time  will  I  wait,  till  my 


MEDITATION  XI.  213 

change  come."  In  like  manner,  in  the  parallel  pas- 
sage, having  expressed  his  desire  to  depart,  he  adds, 
"  nevertheless,  to  abide  in  the  flesh  is  more  needful 
for  jou ;  and  having  this  confidence,  I  know  that  I 
shall  abide  and  continue  with  you  all,  for  your  fur- 
therance and  joy  of  faith."  What  nobler  attitude 
can  a  rational  spirit  assume  than  that  in  which  the 
apostle  appears  in  these  passages  !  when,  with  a  calm 
and  comprehensive  eye,  he  seems  to  survey  the  whole 
prospect  which  lies  before  him,  as  an  immortal  being, 
and  seeing  it  divided  into  two  parts  of  very  unequal 
magnitude, — the  one,  a  short  span  of  time — the  other, 
the  vast  expanse  of  eternity, — regards  time  as  the  youth, 
and  eternity  as  the  manhood  of  his  being  ;  the  present 
life  as  the  season  of  duty  and  preparation,  in  which 
he  must  be  disciplined  and  trained ;  and  the  life  to 
come,  as  the  season  of  matured  wisdom  and  perfect 
enjoyment ;  the  earth  as  the  antechamber'  of  heaven, 
and  death  the  mere  portal  which  opens  betwixt  the 
two ;  and,  while  he  longs  for  heaven,  and  feels  the 
trials  of  his  present  lot,  is,  nevertheless,  patiently  sub- 
missive to  God's  will,  in  the  assurance,  that  so  long 
as  he  is  continued  here,  God  has  work  for  him  to 
do,  and  that,  sooner  or  later,  all  his  trials  shall  ter- 
minate in  victory,  and  all  his  labours  in  a  glorious 
reward ! 

In  explanation  of  the  apostle's  preference,  let  it  be 
observed,  that  his  language  does  not  imply  either  that 
he  made  light  of  death,  or  that  he  had  no  dislike  or 
aversion  to  it  considey^ed  in  itself.     There  is,  indeed, 


214  MEDITATION  XI. 

a  slavish  fear  of  death,  througli  ^vhIch  some  are  all 
their  lifetime  suLject  to  bondage,  and  from  Avhicli  the 
apostle  was  delivered,  as  it  ^vas  the  Saviour's  design 
to  deliver  all  his  disciples.  But  there  is  a  natural 
fear  of  death,  ■which  is,  in  some  sense,  a  necessary 
concomitant  or  result  of  the  great  primary  law  of  self- 
preservation — a  law,  which,  like  every  other  ordina- 
tion of  God,  bespeaks  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of 
him  by  whom  it  was  established.  Had  we  no  aver- 
sion from  suffering,  and  no  fear  of  death,  we  might 
rashly  or  carelessly  expose  ourselves  to  such  danger, 
and  incur  such  calamities  as  would  abridge  our  term 
of  existence,  and  send  us  prematurely  out  of  this  state 
of  being.  Nor  is  this  all ;  it  is  hardly  possible  to 
conceive  how  much  God's  moral  government  would 
suffer,  were  that  natural  law  reversed,  whereby  pain 
and  suffering  are  made  sensible  and  alarming  evils ; 
for,  were  men  less  averse  than  they  now  are  to  suffer- 
ing or  dissolution,  the  wicked  would  be  less  restrained 
by  fear,  the  righteous  less  benefited  by  discipline  and 
chastisement,  the  law  would  lose  the  natural  sanctions 
by  which  it  is  now  enforced,  and  sin  would  be  exempt 
from  many  powerful  checks  to  which  it  is  now  sub- 
jected. Hence,  as  it  would  materially  impair  the 
efficacy  of  his  moral  government,  and  interfere  with 
the  first  great  law  of  our  rational  nature,  we  cannot 
suppose  that  it  was  God's  design  in  the  Gospel,  far 
less  that  it  is  absolutely  essential  to  our  salvation, 
that  the  natural  fear  of  death  should  be  totally  de- 
stroyed, or  exchanged  for  stoical  apathy  and  imcon- 


MEDITATION  XI.  215 

cem.  And  for  sucli  fears,  therefore,  In  so  far  as  they 
arise  out  of  the  law  of  nature,  and  are  consistent  with 
right  reason,  ■we  are  hound  to  make  every  allowance, 
especially  in  the  case  of  the  timid  disciple.  In  point 
of  fact,  the  apostle  does  not  make  light  of  death,  either 
as  in  itself  an  inconsiderable  matter,  or  as  of  tri^dal 
moment,  when  considered  in  connection  with  its  con- 
sequences. In  itself,  he  knew  it  to  he  an  evil  and  a 
hitter  thing  to  die,  and  hence  he  speaks  of  it  as  an 
enemy — "  the  last  enemy  w^hich  shall  he  destroyed  is 
death ;"  and,  in  its  consequences,  he  knew  that  it 
would,  on  the  one  hand,  separate  him  at  once  from 
this  world,  the  scene  of  his  loved  employment  in  his 
jMaster's  service,  and  of  his  sweet  fellowship  with  his 
Master's  followers ;  and,  on  the  other,  introduce  him 
into  a  world  of  spirits,  known  to  him  as  to  us,  only 
by  the  hearing  of  faith,  and  to  which  he  was  yet  a 
stranger.  An  event  so  painful  to  flesh  and  blood, 
and  so  trying  even  to  the  faith  and  hope  of  a  believer, 
could  not  be  regarded  by  the  apostle  with  indifference 
or  unconcern ;  nay,  had  it  been  so  considered  by  him, 
that  very  circumstance  would  materially  impair  the 
force  of  his  statement.  For  it  had  been  little  to  say, 
that  having  no  fear  of  death,  no  shrinking  from  dis- 
solution, he  was  willing  to  depart ;  but  the  force  of 
his  expression  depends  on  this,  that  while,  like  other 
men,  he  had  a  natural  fear  of  death,  his  faith  was 
such  as  to  surmount  and  overcome  that  fear,  and  to 
make  him  rejoice  in  the  hope  of  glory.  He  felt,  as 
we  feel,  that,  in  itself,  death  is  a  fearful,  and  a  dark, 


216  MEDITATION  XI. 

and  a  dreary  passage ;  he  does  not  speak  of  it  as  an 
event  to  be  chosen  or  desired  for  its  own  sake,  but  he 
says,  that,  when  ■viewed  as  the  gate  into  heaven,  it 
stands  connected  with  a  prospect  which  reconciled 
him  to  its  terrors.  And  by  how  much  the  fears  of 
any  believers  respecting  death  are  the  more  sensitive 
and  overwhelming,  just  so  much  the  more  should  we 
admire  the  power  of  that  religion,  which  has  enabled 
many  a  timid  disciple  to  rise  above  his  fears,  and  to 
take  his  flight  to  heaven  on  the  wings  of  Christian 
hope. 

There  are  many  reasons  ■why  we,  too,  should  be 
willing  to  depart.  The  chief  reason  that  is  assigned 
by  the  apostle  is,  as  we  have  seen,  the  necessarily 
imperfect  state  of  believers,  so  long  as  they  remain  in 
the  body, — the  necessity  of  walking  by  faith,  and  not 
by  sight, — the  absence,  in  one  sense,  of  their  glori- 
fied Lord, — as  also,  the  presence  and  remaining  power 
of  indwelling  sin.  If,  at  death,  we  shall  be  freed 
from  all  these  defects  and  encumbrances,  and  if  we 
be  now  really  bom  again,  so  as  to  have  a  taste  and 
relish  for  spiritual  perfection,  to  what  can  it  be  attri- 
buted that  we  are  so  unwilling  to  reach  our  home  in 
heaven,  except  to  the  weakness  of  our  faith  and  hope? 
Many  of  us  may  find  a  ground  for  deep  humiliation 
before  God  in  this  matter,  seeing  that  he  who  search- 
eth  the  heart,  may  even  now  observe  much  reluctance 
on  our  part  to  quit  the  body,  and  little  or  no  desire  to 
enjoy  his  immediate  presence.  And,  as  this  can  only 
be  accounted  for  by  referring  it  to  the  weakness  of  our 


MEDITATION  XI.  217 

faith,  or  to  the  want  of  a  well-grounded  hope,  so  it 
will  be  found  to  be  generally  associated  with  an  undue 
attachment  to  the  world,  and  an  aversion  to  part  with 
all  for  God. 

We  shall  not  call  in  question  the  reality  of  any 
man's  religion,  merely  on  accoimt  of  such  feelings,  for 
many  of  God's  people  are  ofttimes  in  heaviness  through 
manifold  temptations,  and  they  cannot  always  speak 
in  the  apostle's  language;  but  surely  they  will  not 
rest  contented  in  a  state  which  renders  the  thought  of 
death  a  bondage,  and  the  prospect  of  entering  into 
heaven  painful  or  depressing  to  them ;  they  will  seek 
to  be  resolved  as  to  their  interest  in  the  promises,  and 
will  give  all  diligence  to  make  their  eternal  prospects 
sure.     It  will  be  their  sincere  desire  and  endeavour 
to  attain  to  the  confidence,  and  to  cherish  the  spirit 
of  the  apostle.     It  is  both  their  duty  and  their  in- 
terest to  do  so ;  their  duty,  as  the  professed  followers 
of  him  ''who  is  the  resm-rection  and  the  life,  who 
hath  abolished  death,  and  brought  Hfe  and  immortality 
clearly  to  hght;"  and  their  privilege,  since  nothing 
can  be  more  blessed  than  that  habit  of  believing  ex- 
pectation, which  will  reconcile  them  to  whatever  God 
may  be  pleased  to  appoint ;  and  nothing,  on  the  other 
hand,  more  wretched,  or  less  becoming  their  profes- 
sion, than  that  restless  inquietude,  that  apprehensive 
alarm,  that  surprise  and  consternation,  which  the  sud- 
den prospect  of  dissolution,  or  even  its  slow  but  sure 
advance  towards  them,  awakens  in  the  mind,  when  it 
is  still  imcertain  as  to  its  future  prospects,  or  yet  mow 


218  MEDITATION  XL 

wedded  to  the  world,  than  -wishful  of  heaven.  "We 
should  be  always  ready, — ready  not  only  as  having  a 
real  interest  in  Christ,  but  as  having  a  realizing  faith 
in  him,  a  watchful  expectation  of  his  coming,  and  a 
joyful  welcome  to  him  when  he  comes, — we  must  not 
•only  have  lamps,  but  oil  in  our  lamps ;  and,  if  we 
TV'ould  not  be  taken  by  surprise,  we  must  neither  slum- 
ber nor  sleep. 

For  our  direction  in  this  matter,  let  us  remember 
that  the  apostle's  willingness  to  depart  arose  out  of, 
and  stood  connected  with,  an  assurance  of  his  personal 
interest  in  the  scheme  of  grace — "  we  are  conjident., 
and  willing  to  be  absent  from  the  body,  and  present 
with  the  Lord."  This  confidence  at  once  explains 
and  justifies  his  willingness  to  die.  With  such  a  con- 
fidence, it  is  not  wonderful  that  he  should  express  a 
desire  to  depart ;  but,  while  destitute  of  this,  it  is  not 
to  be  expected  that  any  human  being  will  calmly  con- 
template death  without  apprehension,  or  encounter  it 
without  reluctance. 

There  can  be  no  doubt,  indeed,  that  every  sincere 
believer  who  reposes  his  trust  in  the  Saviour,  is,  in  all 
essential  respects,  prepared  for  death  and  its  issues  ; 
and  that  his  faith,  however  weak  and  wavering,  will 
infallibly  secure  for  him  the  reward  of  a  blessed  im- 
mortality. Wherever  it  exists,  and  in  whatever  de- 
gree, faith  obtains,  for  every  penitent,  the  pardon  of 
sin,  and  a  sure  title  to  an  inheritance  in  heaven ;  and, 
in  the  same  proportion  in  which  it  is  active  and  in- 
fluential, it  prepares  him  also,  in  point  of  character^ 


MEDITATION  XI.  219 

for  the  services  and  enjoyments  of  that  sacred  asylum 
of  piety  and  peace.  In  so  far,  therefore,  as  his  mere 
safety  is  concerned,  every  sincere  Christian  is  prepared 
for  death,  even  though,  for  a  season,  he  should  he  in 
heaviness  through  manifold  temptations,  or  unable, 
by  reason  of  weakness,  to  speak  in  the  strong  language 
of  assurance  or  triumph.  Christ  "  Avill  not  break  the 
bruised  reed,  nor  quench  the  smoking  flax."  But 
while,  in  respect  of  mere  safety,  all  true  believers  are 
prepared  for  death  and  its  issues,  there  is,  in  respect 
of  sensible  comfort,  great  diversity  amongst  them,  ac- 
cording to  their  different  degrees  of  faith  and  hope. 
Many  are  so  weak  in  faith,  that  the  prospect  of  en- 
countering death,  and  of  entering  on  the  world  of 
spirits,  is  fraught  to  them  with  unnumbered  terrors, — 
their  lives  are  spent  in  fearful  apprehension  of  that 
event,  which,  nevertheless,  they  know  to  be  inevi- 
table,— health  and  prosperity  are  embittered  by  the 
thought  of  it,  and,  when  disease  comes,  it  comes  at- 
tended with  numerous  desponding  anticipations,  and 
foreboding  fears.  There  is  reason  to  believe  that  not  a 
few  of  the  serious  and  sincere  disciples  of  the  Saviour 
are  subject  to  these  feelings ;  and,  in  their  case,  even 
the  watchfulness  which  our  Lord  enjoins,  is  the  means 
rather  of  increasing  than  of  mitigating  their  distress, 
since,  where  a  watchful  expectation  of  death  is  exer- 
cised, without  the  enjoyment  of  a  settled  peace  of 
mind  and  a  lively  hope,  it  tends  much  more  to  exas- 
perate than  to  appease  the  anxieties  which  the  thought 
of  dissolution  is  fitted  to  excite. 


220  MEDITATION  XL 

The  only  sure  antidote  to  these  distressing  feeKngs, 
is  the  confidence  which  the  apostle  expresses — a  con- 
fidence of  his  personal  interest  in  the  salvation  of  the 
cross,  in  virtue  of  which  he  could  look  forward  to  a 
building  of  God,  "  an  house  not  made  with  hands, 
eternal  in  the  heavens,"  as  his  own,  by  sure  title  and 
promise,  after  the  dissolution  of  the  body.  Nothing 
can  be  more  certain,  than  that  here,  as  elsewhere,  in 
his  precious  writings,  the  apostle  does  express  a  sure 
hope  of  a  blessed  immortality,  and  that  he  does  so, 
with  no  exclusive  reference  to  his  own  case,  but  in 
the  name  of  believers  in  general,  to  whom  the  same 
promises  were  addressed  as  to  himself,  and  in  whom, 
although  it  might  be  in  different  degrees,  the  same 
faith  had  been  wrought.  Nor  can  it  be  doubted  thafc 
this  confidence  is  a  very  high  and  precious  privilege,-— 
that,  if  attainable,  it  is  in  the  very  highest  degree  to 
be  desired,  and  that  being,  in  some  sense,  the  natural 
fruit  of  an  active  faith,  and  the  nourishment  of  a  lively 
hope,  the  Christian  is  not  only  living  far  below  his 
privileges,  as  a  child  of  God,  when  he  rests  satisfied 
without  this  attainment,  but  is  thereby  showing  that 
his  faith  is  neither  so  active,  nor  his  spiritual  desires 
so  strong,  nor  his  love  to  God  and  to  heaven  so  lively, 
as  they  ought  to  be. 

That  no  man  can  be  a  genuine  believer,  or  that  no 
man  will  be  saved,  unless  he  can  adopt  the  language 
which  is  here  used,  we  will  not  affirm ;  but  while  the 
desponding  and  fearful  ought  not  to  be  driven  to  de- 
n-^-^T.  c-voUr  {f  ,*C5  ^p]]  f]yr^i  fjipv  should  bc  admonished 


MEDITATION  XI.  221 

of  their  remaining  imperfections,  and  urged  to  aim  at 
a  privilege,  which  they  will  not  deny  to  he  a  valuable 
one,  and  which  the  Gospel  declares  to  have  been  en- 
joyed hy  others  before  them, — and  that  they  should  be 
affectionately  reminded  that,  besides  being  a  privilege, 
it  is  also  a  commanded  duty,  to  "  give  all  diligence  to 
make  their  calling  and  election  sure." 

The  apostle  states,  in  the  preceding  verses,  the 
grounds  or  reasons  of  this  confidence :  "  He  that  hath 
wrought  us  for  this  self-same  thing  is  God,  who  also 
hath  given  unto  us  the  earnest  of  his  Spirit, — there-' 
fore  we  are  always  confident."  As  it  is  by  the  work 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  that  believers  are  wrought,  fashioned, 
polished,  and  prepared  for  the  upper  sanctuary,  so  the 
fruits  of  the  Spirit,  being  the  evidence  of  a  saving 
change,  are  at  once  the  reasons  of  present  assurance, 
and  the  earnests  of  future  glory.  Hence,  it  is  said, 
"  the  Spirit  himself  beareth  witness  with  our  spirits, 
that  we  are  the  children  of  God;  and,  if  children, 
then  heirs,  heirs  of  God,  and  joint  heirs  with  Jesus 
Christ,"  And  how  does  he  thus  bear  witness  ?  Not 
by  revealing  any  truth  which  is  not  contained  in  Scrip- 
ture, but  by  enabling  them  to  embrace  the  truth  of 
Scripture,  and  to  appropriate  its  promises  to  them- 
selves. Not  by  a  secret  voice,  assuring  them  that 
their  names  are  in  the  book  of  life,  but  by  first  pro- 
ducing in  their  souls,  and  then  enabling  them  to  per- 
ceive, those  marks  of  saving  grace,  which  will  terminate 
in  glory.     But  such  a  change  may  have  been  really 

wrought,  and  yet  there  may  be  seasons  in  the  lives  of 

19* 


222  MEDITATION  XI. 

sincere  Christians,  in  which  they  cannot  so  clearly 
discern  the  evidence,  as  to  derive  comfort  from  the 
persuasion,  that  they  have  been  converted ;  seasons 
of  spiritual  darkness,  when  their  views  are  clouded,  it 
may  be,  by  unbelief;  or  seasons  of  backsliding,  when 
they  have  reason  to  mourn  over  resolutions  which 
have  been  forgotten,  vows  that  have  been  broken,  and 
obligations,  both  of  duty,  and  of  gratitude,  which  have 
been  shamefully  violated  ;  or  seasons  of  spiritual  insen- 
sibility, when  they  have  so  far  fallen  from  the  state  of 
spiritual  health,  as  to  be  almost  tempted  to  question 
whether  they  have  ever  been  quickened  into  spiritual 
life.  At  such  seasons,  it  is  not  wonderful  that  they 
cannot,  with  a  good  conscience,  use  the  language  of 
the  apostle.  But  dark  as  their  present  state  is,  it  does 
not  follow  that  they  are  shut  out  from  hope.  It  is 
true  that  they  cannot  discern,  in  their  own  troubled 
spirits,  those  marks  of  grace  which  are  the  evidences 
of  conversion,  and  the  earnests  of  glory ;  and  we  can- 
not, therefore,  in  these  circumstances,  direct  them  to 
look  inward  on  the  frame  of  their  own  spirits,  with 
any  hope  of  their  thereby  obtaining  relief.  No  ;  but 
we  can,  and  we  do,  bid  every  downcast  believer  to  look 
out  of  himself  to  Christ's  cross,  and  to  God's  mercy- 
seat;  and  we  do  so  with  the  greater  confidence,  just 
because  he  has  been  brought  to  feel  that  he  has  no- 
thing else  to  depend  on.  Supposing  all  his  fears  as 
to  his  present  state  to  be  well-grounded,  nevertheless, 
to  him,  be  he  converted  or  unconverted,  the  chief  of 
sinners  or  the  weakest  of  saints,  to  him,  whatever  be 


MEDITATION  XI.  223 

liis  cliaracter,  and  however  dark  his  prospects,  we 
point  to  Christ's  cross,  as  a  refuge  to  which  the  most 
miserable  is  welcome  to  repair,  and  from  which,  never 
was  the  poorest  penitent  sent  empty  away.  Let  him 
not  continue  to  brood  over  the  darkness  of  his  own 
soul,  but,  knowing  it  to  be  dark,  let  him  turn  his  eye 
upward  to  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  which  has  arisen 
upon  him  with  healing  in  its  beams,  and  which,  not- 
withstanding all  the  gloom  which  hangs  around  his 
spirit,  is  still  shining  clear  and  serene  in  heaven.  Let 
him  look  to  Christ's  cross  and  to  God's  mercy-seat ; 
and  thence  may  he  draw,  in  the  exercise  of  a  simple 
and  confiding  faith,  that  assurance  of  God's  love,  and 
that  peace  of  conscience,  which  will  enable  him  to 
surmount  the  terrors  of  death,  and  to  look  forward 
with  humble  hope  to  a  time  when,  no  longer  seeing 
through  a  glass  darkly,  he  shall  see  face  to  face,  and 
know  even  as  also  he  is  known. 

This  was  the  first  ground  of  the  apostle's  confi- 
dence ;  he  heard  Christ's  invitations  and  promises,  he 
embraced  them,  and  thereafter  his  experience  of  God's 
faithfulness  confirmed  his  faith  and  animated  his  hope. 
At  one  time  he  had  as  little  to  comfort  him  in  the 
prospect  of  death  as  any  amongst  ourselves ;  but  he 
attained  to  confidence  by  the  exercise  of  a  simple  faith. 
Let  us  aim  at  the  same  attainment  by  the  same  means. 
That  this  confidence  is  a  highly  desirable  state  of  mind 
at  all  seasons,  but  especially  in  the  near  prospect  of 
dissolution,  will  not  surely  be  denied  by  any  one,  who, 
awake  to  the  awfal  nature  of  that  change,  and  the 


224  MEDITATION  XI. 

eternal  consequences  ■s>-liich  flow  from  it,  will  only  ask 
himself  the  question, — whether  it  were  best  to  die  in 
doubt  or  in  hope, — to  be  distracted  at  that  solemn  hour 
by  the  thought  that,  after  all,  he  may  be  in  the  wrong 
path,  or  to  be  firmly  assured,  on  grounds  of  rational 
conviction,  that  he  is  safe  ?  AVho  would  not  wish, 
at  that  hour,  to  know,  and  to  know  assuredly,  that  he 
is  in  a  state  of  peace  with  God, — that  he  is  an  heir  of 
heaven,  and  not  of  hell  ?  Or,  could  any  thing  be  more 
terrific  than  to  encounter  death  at  the  hazard  of  ap- 
pearing before  the  judgment-seat  unprepared  ?  "We 
must  make  up  our  minds,  and  arrive  at  some  certainty 
on  this  matter.  If  we  wish  that  our  last  moments 
may  be  undisturbed  by  misgivings,  and  that  we  may 
descend  into  the  vale  of  death  with  serenity  and  com- 
posure, oh  !  let  us  not  leave  the  task  of  winding  up  our 
accounts  to  that  hour  which  will  bring  with  it  enough 
for  us  to  think  upon  and  to  do,  without  being  burdened 
with  a  long  arrear  from  the  past ;  let  us  now,  and  each 
day  as  we  pass  on  to  our  final  reckoning,  examine  and 
try  the  foundation  of  our  hope ;  let  us,  once  for  all, 
satisfy  ourselves  as  to  the  path  which  we  should  choose, 
and  let  it  be  that  path  in  which  we  shall  be  content  to 
meet  death  when  it  comes.  Having  chosen  the  right 
way,  let  us  go  right  on,  turning  neither  to  the  right 
hand  nor  to  the  left ;  setting  our  foces  stedfastly  to  go 
up  to  the  Jerusalem  above  ;  let  us  seek  to  enjoy,  more 
and  more,  the  love  of  God,  and  communion  with  him  ; 
to  become  more  submissive  to  his  will,  and  more  con- 
formed to  his  divine  image ;  for  then,  and  then  only, 


MEDITATION  XI.  225 

may  we  be  both  prepared  for  heaven,  and  assured  of 
our  inheritance  there  ;  and  we  shaU  be  happy,  either 
in  his  service  here,  or  in  his  presence  hereafter,  if, 
only  walking  in  the  path  of  sanctification,  we  have 
"  the  earnest  of  his  Spirit"  in  our  hearts. 


/ 


MEDITATION  XII. 


Ps.  cxix.  50 "  This  is  my  comfort  in  mine  affliction  :  *^ 

^  Is  any  among  you  ajlicted?  let  him  pray  ^^ — James  v.  13. 

The  Bible  opens  a  spring  of  comfort  for  the  afflicted, 
by  giving  them  free  access  to  the  throne  of  grace,  and 
inviting  them  to  enjoy  the  privilege  of  prayer. 

This  is,  indeed,  the  Christian's  privilege  at  all  sea- 
sons ;  and  never  will  he  feel  himself  to  be  in  a  rlglit 
or  comfortable  state,  •whatever  may  be  his  outward 
prosperity,  if  he  allow  himself  to  neglect  that  blessed 
ordinance,  by  which  intercourse  is  maintained  betwixt 
heaven  and  earth,  and  fellowship  enjoyed  by  the  crea- 
ture with  the  Creator.  And  he  who,  whether  in  pros- 
perity or  adversity,  makes  it  his  daily  practice  to  go 
to  the  throne  of  grace,  and  in  every  tJiing  by  prayer 
and  supplication  with  thanksgiving,  makes  his  request 
known  unto  God,  will,  from  his  own  experience,  bear 
testimony  to  the  truth  of  the  promise,  that  "  the  peace 
of  God  which  passeth  all  understanding,  shall  keep 
his  heart  and  mind  through  Christ  Jesus." 


MEDITATION  XIL  227 

But  while  prayer  is  a  duty  incumbent  at  all  seasons, 
and  a  privilege  -svliicli  the  highest  prosperity  affords  no 
reason  for  neglecting,  it  is,  in  many  respects,  peculiarly 
seasonable  in  the  time  of  affliction. 

Affliction  is  favourable  to  the  spirit  of  prayer. 
For,  wherein  does  the  true  nature  of  prayer  consist? 
It  consists  in  the  desire  of  the  hearty  offered  up  to 
God ;  and  what  better  fitted  to  awaken  earnest  desire 
than  the  pressure  of  affliction  ?  In  the  day  of  pros- 
perity, when  every  want  or  appetite  of  our  nature  is 
supplied,  we  may  not  be  conscious  of  any  very  strong 
desire,  and  are  too  apt  to  forget  the  fact  of  our  depend- 
ence, in  respect  to  the  supply  of  our  temporal  wants  ; 
and  even  in  regard  to  our  spiritual  necessities,  we  are 
prone,  when  surfeited  with  worldly  prosperity,  to  be- 
come cold  and  lukewarm  in  our  desires  after  the  com- 
munication of  divine  grace,  by  which  alone  they  can  be 
supplied.  Is  there  one  Christian  who  has  not  experi- 
enced the  deadening  effect  of  uninterrupted  prosperity 
on  the  spiritual  desires  and  holiest  affections  of  his 
nature  ?  And  if  even  Christians  are  too  often  lulled 
asleep  by  its  influence,  how  much  more  may  those  be 
cradled  into  profound  forgetfulness  of  God,  who  have 
never  known  the  necessity,  nor  made  the  deliberate 
choice,  of  a  better  and  more  enduring  portion  ?  But 
•when  their  prosperous  course  is  broken  by  severe 
affliction,  the  minds  of  both  classes  are  brought  into  a 
new  state  ;  the  Christian  is  then  throAvn  back  on  the 
inward  resources  of  his  religion,  and  will  then  feel  their 
necessity  and  value;  and  even  in  an  unsanctified  bosom, 


228  MEDITATION  XII. 

such  strong  natural  longings  will  spring  up,  as  may, 
under  the  blessing  of  God,  lead  the  -worldling  himself 
to  seek  after  a  better  portion  than  the  world.  In  so 
far  as  affliction  is  the  means  of  awakening  earnest 
desire,  and  exciting  a  sincere  feeling  in  the  heart,  it 
is  favourable  to  the  spirit  of  prayer ;  for  that  feeHng, 
or  that  desire,  if  directed  towards  God,  is  prayer. 

Again,  prayer  is  an  expression  of  our  dependence 
on  God ;  and  it  is  in  affliction  that  we  are  most  sen- 
sible of  our  helplessness, — it  is  by  affliction  that  we  are 
made  to  feel  how  little  of  what  most  nearly  concerns 
our  happiness  is  under  our  own  control,  and  how  ab- 
solutely our  interests  are  at  the  disposal  of  a  higher 
power.  "What,  for  instance,  can  impress  the  mind 
with  so  deep  a  sense  of  helplessness,  as  the  pressure 
of  disease  in  our  own  persons,  which  no  human  skill 
can  arrest  or  cure ;  or  the  gradual  decay  and  final  dis- 
solution of  a  beloved  friend,  at  whose  couch  we  watch 
hj  day  and  by  night,  and  are  only  more  and  more 
confirmed  in  the  conviction,  that  unless  God  interpose, 
vain  is  the  help  of  man  ?  In  so  far  as  affliction 
teaches  us  our  dependence  on  God,  it  is  favourable  to 
the  spirit  of  prayer ;  for  why,  in  such  circumstances, 
should  we  refrain  from  expressing  that  dependence 
which  we  feel,  and  acknowledging  that  helplessness 
which  we  cannot  deny,  especially  when  we  know  that 
God  has  a  sovereign  control  over  all  events,  and  that, 
if  we  procure  his  aid,  we  obtain  the  benefit  of  unerring 
wisdom  and  almighty  power  ? 

Again,  affliction  is  favourable  to  the  spirit  of  prayer, 


MEDITATION  XII.  22Sr 

because,  wlien  it  is  either  sudden  or  severe,  it  is  usually 
associated  in  the  minds  of  men  with  a  sense  of  guilty 
and  an  apprehension  of  divine  displeasure.  We  in- 
sist not  on  the  reasons  of  it,  but  on  the  bare  fact  that 
such  an  apprehension  is  universally  felt  by  those  who 
are  exposed  to  imminent  danger,  or  plunged  in  deep 
distress ;  and  that,  by  the  constitution  of  our  nature, 
such  a  connection  is  established  betwixt  suffering  and 
sin,  as  that  the  former  cannot  be,  to  any  great  extent, 
endured,  without  being  accompanied  with  a  deep  sense 
of  personal  demerit  and  guilt.  That  such  a  connec- 
tion does  exist,  is  evident  from  the  dreadful  appre- 
hensions which  are  experienced  and  expressed  by  the 
most  ungodly  and  careless,  when  they  are  suddenly 
brought  into  imminent  danger.  I\Iany  will  then  trem- 
hie,  and  think  of  God,  who  cared  nothing  for  religion 
before.  Have  we  not  seen  a  family,  enjoying  a  long 
course  of  prosperity,  and  as  unmindful  of  God  and 
religion,  as  if  they  were  ignorant  that  they  had  a 
God  to  worship,  and  souls  to  be  saved  ;  but  when  one 
of  their  number  was  suddenly  seized  by  the  hand  of 
death,  the  whole  of  that  gay  household  were  also  seized 
with  religious  fear,  and  none  more  anxious  than  they 
to  procure  the  aid  of  a  minister's  consolations,  and  a 
minister*s  prayers  !  Have  we  not  known  a  rude  and 
thoughtless  sailor,  spending  every  hour  of  fair  weather 
and  prosperous  winds  in  jovial  mirth, — ^night  after 
night  retiring  to  his  cot  without  thinking  of  the  God 
above,  or  of  the  hell  beneath  him, — and  even,  when 

the  first  gale  arose  that  was  to  founder  his  ship,  reck- 

20 


230  MEDITATION  XII. 

less  of  the  coming  storm ;  but  when  the  crash  was 
heard,  and  when,  from  the  force  of  habit,  the  first 
w  ord  upon  his  Hp  was  an  oath,  that  oath  died  away 
into  a  prayer,  when  the  foaming  waters  burst  across 
the  deck,  and  lashed  him  into  the  mighty  deep  !  In 
the  107th  Psabn,  we  find  the  tendency  of  affliction  to 
produce  prayer  illustrated  by  many  beautiful  examples, 
■ — as  in  the  case  of  the  Jews  wandering  in  the  wilder- 
ness, in  a  sohtary  way,  hungry  and  thirsty,  and  their 
souls  fainting  within  them ;  or  in  the  case  of  those 
who,  by  reason  of  personal  distress,  "-  sit  in  darkness 
and  in  the  shadow  of  death,  being  bound  in  affliction 
and  iron,  because  they  rebelled  against  the  words  of 
God ;"  or  in  the  case  of  those  who  go  down  to  the 
sea  in  ships,  whose  soul  is  melted  because  of  trouble ; 
— in  each  case,  it  is  added,  "  they  cried  unto  the  Lord 
in  their  trouble,  and  he  delivered  them  out  of  their 
distresses." 

It  is  true,  that  in  all  these  cases,  prayer  may,  in  the 
first  instance,  be  nothing  more  than  the  cry  of  nature 
in  distress ;  the  desires  of  such  persons  may  not,  at 
the  outset,  be  purely  spiritual ;  and  the  sense  of  guilt 
which  they  experience,  may  be  more  characterised  by 
the  terrors  of  remorse,  than  by  the  tenderness  of  true 
repentance.  Be  it  so ;  this  does  not  hinder  the  use- 
fulness of  affliction,  as  a  means  in  God's  hand,  of  lead- 
ing them  to  pray.  God  acts  on  the  minds  of  men  by 
rational  inducements;  and  seeing  that,  in  their  natural 
state,  they  are  dead  to  the  influence  of  higher  and 
more  spiritual  motives,  he  has  recourse  to  their  sen- 


MEDITATION  XII. 


231 


tient  nature ;  their  hopes  and  their  fears  are  addressed 
in  the  promises  and  threatenings  of  Scripture,  and 
their  love  of  happiness,  and  aversion  to  suifering,  are 
appealed  to  in  the  absence  of  holier  principles.    AVhen 
he  s€fnds  affliction,  he  appeals  to  their  natural  feelings; 
and  the  lessons  ^vhich  it  is  fitted  to  teach,  are  so  many 
motives  to  a  religious  life,— motives  which,  although, 
in  the  first  instance,  addressed  to  the  mere  natural 
feelings,  and  hopes,  and  fears  of  the  sufferer,  may, 
nevertheless,  through  these,  arrest  the  attention,  and 
reach  the  conscience,  and  ultimately  renew  the  heart. 
The  impressions  which  are  made  during  a  season  of 
affliction,  may  be  the  result,  in  a  great  measure,  of 
mere  natural  feeling ;  but  they  may,  nevertheless,  be 
the  means  which  the  Holy  Spirit  has  chosen  for  the 
commencement  of  a  saving  change ;  and  if  they  lead 
the  sufferer  to  pray,  they  bring  him  under  a  new  in- 
fluence, whereby  the  sentient  feelings  which  at  first 
prompted  him,  may  gradually  and  imperceptibly  rise 
into  gracious  and  devout  affections.     At  all  events, 
let  no  sufferer  be  debarred  from  the  throne  of  grace, 
because  he  is  in  doubt  as  to  the  spirituality  of  his 
affections,  or  depressed  by  a  sense  of  guilt ;  let  him 
remember,  that  as  a  sinner  he  is  invited,  and  that  his 
present  affliction  is  designed  to  induce  him  to  pray; 
and  should  he  still  question  his  warrant  or  his  pros- 
pect of  acceptance,  let  him  remember  the  words  of  the 
apostle  to  Simon  IVIagus,— "  Thou  art  in  the  gall  of 
bitterness  and  the  bond  of  iniquity  ;  but  pray  to  God  if 
perhaps  the  thought  of  thy  heart  may  be  forgiven  thee." 


232  MEDITATION  XU. 

In  the  case  of  backsliders,  too,  "who  have  fallen 
from  their  first  love,  and  have  become  confonned  to 
the  world,  affliction  is  often  sent  as  the  most  suitable 
means  of  reclaiming  them  from  declension,  and  restor- 
ing them  to  spiritual  health.  This  it  does,  by  leading 
them  to  prav.  Oh  I  how  many  Christians  have  had 
reason  to  acknowledge  the  blessed  effect  of  affliction, 
in  renewing  their  communion  with  God,  and  reviving 
their  decayed  devotion !  Are  there  not  many  who 
can  testify,  from  their  o>vn  experience,  that  while  they 
were  prosperous,  the  spirit  of  devotion  became  imper- 
ceptibly more  languid  in  their  bosoms ;  that  instead 
of  frequently  enjoying  prayer  as  a  delightful  pri-vilege, 
they  were  gradually  losing  their  relish  for  it,  and  that 
when  they  did  observe  it,  it  was  observed  in  a  cold 
and  formal  manner ;  and  that  they  were  not  sensible 
of  the  length  to  which  they  had  proceeded  in  spiritual 
declension,  till,  by  some  severe  stroke  of  affliction, 
they  were  thrown  on  the  resources  of  a  piety  too  de- 
cayed to  afford  them  either  support  or  consolation, 
and  were  thus,  for  the  first  time,  apprised  of  a  danger 
till  then  unperceived  ?  Can  they  not  remember  what 
deep  humiliation,  what  earnest  desires,  and  what  fer- 
vent supplications  were  produced  by  that  affliction, 
and  the  discoveries  which  it  enabled  them  to  make  ? 
and  are  they  not  sensible,  that  it  was  in  prayer  they 
found  their  consolation, — when,  with  their  eyes  opened 
to  the  reality  of  their  condition,  they  besought  the 
Lord  with  tears  ?  Indeed,  one  of  the  greatest  benefits 
of  severe  affliction,  in  the  case  of  God's  people,  is,  that 


MEDITATION  XTI.  233 

it  awakens  them  to  greater  ardour  and  diligence  in 
prayer;  and  such  is  the  blessedness  of  communion 
•with  God,  and  such  the  elevating  and  sanctifying 
effect  of  earnest  prayer,  that  were  affliction  productive 
of  no  other  benefit,  this  alone  might  well  compensate 
for  all  the  loss  which  is  sustained,  and  all  the  pain 
which  is  inflicted,  even  by  the  severest  dispensations 
of  providence. 

As  affliction  prepares  the  mind  for  prayer,  so  prayer 
relieves  the  mind  in  affliction. 

Prayer  is  often  the  means  of  averting  the  evils  with 
which  we  are  threatened,  and  of  delivering  us  from 
those  under  which  we  labour.  Its  efficacy^  both  for 
defence  and  delivery,  is  frequently  stated  in  express 
terms,  and  illustrated  by  striking  examples  in  the 
Sacred  "Writings. 

It  is  recorded  of  Hezekiah,  that  when  he  heard  the 
message  of  God  by  the  mouth  of  Isaiah  the  prophet, 
saying,  "  Set  thine  house  in  order :  for  thou  shalt  die, 
and  not  live,"  he  "  turned  his  face  toward  the  wall,  and 
prayed  unto  the  Lord,  and  said.  Remember  now,  O 
Lord,  I  beseech  thee,  how  I  have  walked  before  thee 
in  truth,  and  with  a  perfect  heart,  and  have  done  that 
which  is  good  in  thy  sight :  and  Hezekiah  wept  sore. 
Then  came  the  word  of  the  Lord  to  Isaiah,  saying, 
Go  and  say  to  Hezekiah,  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the 
God  of  David  thy  father,  I  have  heard  thy  prayer,  I 
have  seen  thy  tears :  behold,  I  will  add  to  thy  days 
fifteen  years."     "And  Isaiah  said.  Take  a  lump  of 

figs ;  and  they  took  and  laid  it  on  the  boil,  and  he 

p 


234»  MEDITATION  XII. 

recovered."  *  Thus  was  a  sore  disease  removed,  and 
early  death  prevented  by  the  efficacy  of  prayer ;  and 
Hezekiah  had  reason  to  sing  for  joy :  "  Thou  hast,  in 
love  to  my  soul,  delivered  it  from  the  pit  of  corrup- 
tion, for  thou  hast  cast  all  my  sins  behind  my  back ; 
the  Lord  was  ready  to  save  me^  therefore  we  will 
sing  my  songs  to  the  stringed  instruments,  all  the 
days  of  our  life,  in  the  house  of  the  Lord." 

The  history  of  the  people  of  Israel  affords  many 
interesting  examples  of  the  effect  of  prayer  in  deliver- 
ing from  outward  trouble,  as  well  as  of  the  tendency 
of  affliction  to  impress  the  most  careless  with  the 
necessity  and  value  of  prayer.  These  examples  are 
thus  beautifully  referred  to  in  the  107th  Psalm: 
"  0  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord,  for  he  is  good ;  for 
his  mercy  endureth  for  ever.  Let  the  redeemed  of 
the  Lord  say  so,  Avhom  he  hath  redeemed  from  the 
hand  of  the  enemy.  They  wandered  in  the  wilder- 
ness in  a  solitary  Avay ;  they  found  no  city  to  dwell  in. 
Hungry  and  thirsty,  their  souls  fainted  in  them. 
Then  they  cried  unto  the  Lord  in  their  trouble,  and 
he  delivered  them  out  of  their  distresses.  For  he 
satisfieth  the  longing  soul,  and  filleth  the  hungry  soul 
with  goodness."  Again,  referring  to  the  grievous 
backslidings  of  that  highly  favoured  people,  the  Psal- 
mist says  :  "  They  rebelled  against  the  words  of  God, 
and  contemned  the  counsel  of  the  Most  High ;  there- 
fore he  brought  down  their  heart  with  labour;  they 
fell  down  and  there  was  none  to  help  ;  they  sat  in 
*  Isaiah  xxxviii. ;  2  Kuigs  xx. 


MEDITATION  XII.  235 

darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death,  being  hound  in 
affliction  and  iron.  Then  they  cried  unto  the  Lord 
in  their  trouble,  and  he  saved  them  out  of  their  dis- 
tresses. And  after  referring  to  other  examples  of  a 
similar  nature,  the  Psalmist  represents  them  as  ma- 
nifestations of  a  goodness  which  is  ever  ready  to  he 
exercised  towards  the  afflicted, — "  whoso  is  wise  and 
will  observe  those  things,  even  they  shall  understand 
the  loving-kindness  of  the  Lord." 

Nor  was  the  efficacy  of  prayer,  in  preventing  or 
removing  trouble,  confined  to  the  Jewish  people,  al- 
though they  lived  under  a  dispensation  which  was  in 
many  respects  supernatural  and  miraculous ;  we  are 
taught,  on  the  contrary,  to  regard  the  examples  which 
their  history  presents,  as  so  many  indications  of  the 
unalterable  principles  on  which  the  general  government 
of  the  world  is  conducted ;  and  in  so  far  as  the  point 
now  before  us  is  concerned,  the  same  principle  is 
recognised  and  embodied  in  a  promise  in  the  New 
Testament  itself:  "  If  any  man  is  afflicted,  let  him  call 
for  the  elders  of  the  church ;  and  let  them  pray  over 
him,  anointing  him  with  oil  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  : 
and  the  prayer  of  faith  shall  save  the  sick,  and  the 
Lord  shall  raise  him  up;  and  if  he  have  committed  sin, 
it  shall  be  forgiven  him."  And  in  more  general  terms, 
our  Lord  has  said  to  all  his  disciples,  "  Ask  and  ye 
shall  receive,  seek  and  ye  shall  find,  knock  and  it  shall 
be  opened  unto  you."  "  Whatsoever  ye  ask  in  my 
name,  believing,  ye  shall  receive." 

To  this,  many  may  be  ready  to  oppose  their  own 


236f  MEDITATION  XII. 

experience,  and  may  be  unTvilling  to  admit  the  efficacy 
of  prayer  in  preventing  or  removing  outward  calamity, 
when  they  remember  with  what  frequency  and  earnest- 
ness they  supplicated  for  mercies  which  were,  never- 
theless, withheld,  and  deprecated  trials  which  were, 
nevertheless,  sent  or  continued  with  them.  They  may 
remember  that,  when  threatened  with  bereavement, 
they  wept  sore,  and  besought  the  Lord  to  spare  and 
restore  the  object  of  their  fond  affections ;  and  yet, 
that  he  allowed  disease  to  take  its  course,  until  it  ter- 
minated in  death.  These  facts,  which  no  Christian 
minister  will  seek  either  to  deny  or  to  conceal,  may 
have  had  the  effect  of  staggering  the  belief  of  many  in 
the  efficacy  of  prayer ;  and  where  they  have  not  had 
this  effect,  they  may  occasionally  embarrass  even  the 
minds  of  believers,  and  overwhelm  them  with  deep 
anxiety,  by  suggesting  the  awful  thought,  that,  since 
their  prayers  have  received  no  direct  answer,  they  must 
either  not  be  of  the  number  of  God's  people  at  all,  or 
they  must  "  have  prayed  amiss." 

But  these  conclusions  are  not  warranted  by  Scrip- 
ture, and  they  arise  from  a  misapprehension,  not  so 
much  of  the  promise  annexed  to  prayer,  as  of  the  very 
nature  of  prayer  itself.  No  prayer  is  scriptural  which 
does  not  express  a  desire  in  unison  with  the  will  of 
God ;  and  where  the  purpose  of  God  is,  as  in  most 
cases  it  must  be,  secret  or  unknown  to  us,  no  prayer 
is  scriptural  in  which  the  expression  of  our  own  desire 
is  not  limited  by  a  holy  acquiescence  in  his  will.  We 
are  not  entitled,  for  example,  to  pray  absolutely  that 


MEDITATION  XII.  237 

God's  chastening  hand  may  be  withdra^'v^l  from  us,  or 
that  the  life  of  a  relative  may  be  spared,  or  that  we  may 
be  blessed  Avith  worldly  prosperity ; — all  these  desires, 
however  natural  and  however  strong,  must  be  limited 
by,  and  subordinated  to,  the  will  of  him  who  knoweth 
•what  is  best  for  us,  and  who  has  graciously  taken  the 
management  of  our  case  into  his  own  hands.  This  is 
strikingly  implied  in  the  very  structure  of  that  form 
of  prayer  which  our  Lord  himself  gave  to  his  disciples; 
for  it  is  a  very  remarkable  fact,  that  the  three  first 
petitions  of  that  prayer  are  expressive  of  a  desire  for 
God's  glory,  acquiescence  in  God's  will,  and  zeal  for 
the  extension  of  his  kingdom ;  and  it  is  not  till  after 
we  have  thus  ascribed  sovereignty  to  Jehovah,  and  cast 
ourselves  absolutely  into  his  hands,  that  we  are  per- 
mitted to  broach  one  petition  for  our  o^vn  particular 
interest,  even  to  the  extent  of  daily  bread ! 

It  is  only,  therefore,  when  our  desires  are  in  unison 
with  the  divine  will,  that  we  have  reason  to  expect  a 
direct  fulfilment  of  our  requests.  And  this  considera- 
tion is  fraught  with  much  interesting  instruction,  and 
with  great  practical  comfort  in  regard  to  the  efficacy 
of  prayer ;  for  it  assures  us,  that  if  we  should  happen 
to  pray  in  a  right  spirit,  but,  from  ignorance,  should 
ask  what  is  not  really  good  for  us,  God  will  not  take 
advantage  of  our  ignorance  or  weakness,  so  as  to  visit 
us  with  a  curse  when  we  are  seeking  a  blessing.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that,  were  every  desire  which  we 
express  in  prayer  to  meet  with  a  direct  and  literal 
fulfilment,  the  efficacy  of  prayer  might,  through  our 


238  MEDITATION  XII. 

ignorance  of  what  is  really  for  our  good,  become  a 
source  of  calamity  rather  than  of  comfort.  As  it  is 
related  of  one  who,  being  possessed  of  great  wealth, 
and  having  an  only  son,  and  that  son  labouring  under 
a  very  sore  disease,  and  being  repeatedly  counselled  to 
resign  him  into  God's  hand,  and  to  acquiesce  in  his 
appointment,  even  should  he  be  pleased  to  take  him 
away,  did,  nevertheless,  so  far  yield  to  his  natural 
affections,  as  resolutely  to  refuse  any  act  of  submission, 
and  could  not  bring  himself  to  utter  one  word  of  ac- 
quiescence in  such  a  result,  and  who,  many  years  after, 
was  seen  dishonoured  and  beaten  in  his  old  age,  by  that 
very  son  whom  he  was  so  loath  to  lose,  and  mourning, 
in  the  bitterness  of  his  heart,  over  filial  ingratitude  and 
disobedience,  as  the  heaviest  curse  of  his  grey  hairs  ! 
But  when  our  petition  is  limited  by  acquiescence  in  the 
sovereign  disposal  of  Almighty  God,  even  should  we 
ask  amiss,  God  will  neither  withhold  what  is  truly 
good  for  us,  nor  give  what  he  knows  to  be  bad.  And 
thus  the  omniscient  wisdom  of  God  is  our  security 
against  the  effect  of  our  own  ignorance,  or  weakness 
in  prayer.* 

It  is  chiefly  in  reference  to  external  comforts  or 
privileges  that  we  are  ignorant  of  God's  will  and  our 
o^ATi  interest,  for,  on  that  subject,  we  have  no  revela- 
tion to  guide  us  ;  but  for  spiritual  blessings,  in  so  far 

*  Even  a  heathen  could  say, 

Zlv  fiuriXiu  Tx  fAy  itrfXa.  koc)  iv^o/xivais  xctt  anvxraii 

Ex  Akibiade  Secundo, 


MEDITATION  XII.  239 

as  these  are  necessary  for  the  safety  of  the  soul,  we 
have  a  stronger  assurance  of  an  answer,  in  proportion 
as  we  have  better  evidence  both  of  its  being  God's 
will  to  bestow,  and  of  its  being  our  interest  to  receive 
them.  It  may  be  doubtful  how  far  God  will  be  pleased 
to  grant,  or  how  far  it  would  be  for  our  real  welfare  to 
obtain,  exemption  from  outward  trials  or  the  uninter- 
rupted enjoyment  of  worldly  prosperity ;  but  we  know 
from  Scripture,  that  the  blessings  of  God's  grace  are 
of  such  a  nature,  that  we  must  at  all  times  be  willing 
to  dispense  them,  and  that  we  cannot  pray  for,  or  re- 
ceive them,  without  being  substantially  benefited.  "We 
have  greater  confidence,  therefore,  of  a  literal  fulfil- 
ment of  our  petitions,  when  we  supplicate  the  grace 
of  a  penitent  spirit,  than  when  we  pray  for  a  prosperous 
outward  estate,  since  the  former  mustj  at  all  times,  be 
an  object  of  complacency  to  God,  and  a  real  blessing 
to  ourselves,  whereas  the  latter  may  be  fraught  with 
danger  to  our  higher  interests,  and  may,  therefore,  by 
unerring  wisdom,  be  withheld. 

In  this  view,  also,  our  prayers  may  be  really  an- 
swered, although  the  special  evil  which  we  deprecate  is, 
nevertheless,  inflicted,  and  the  good  which  we  suppli- 
cate is,  nevertheless,  withheld.  For  what  is  our  prayer? 
Why,  that  God  would  deal  with  us  according  to  the 
counsels  of  unerring  wisdom,  and  give  or  withhold 
according  to  his  sovereign  will.  That  being  our  prayer, 
it  is  answered,  even  though  it  should  be  by  crosses. 
And,  in  this,  God  magnifies  his  grace,  by  bringing 
the  substantial  blessings  which  we  need  out  of  the 


240  MEDITATION  XII. 

imlikellest  means,  nay,  out  of  those  very  evils  whicli 
v^e  are  most  eager  to  avoid.  We  see,  hence,  not  only 
that  the  prayers  of  his  people  are  answered,  but  that 
they  cannot  fail  to  have  their  fulfilment.  For  the 
desires 'of  their  hearts  are  going  forth  in  unison  with 
the  divine  mil,  and  that  will  is  omnipotent  1 

In  these  circumstances,  however,  the  unbelieving 
mind  will  be  ready  to  reason  against  the  utility  of 
prayer  altogether,  and  to  say  that  God's  will,  being 
omnipotent,  must  have  its  effect,  whether  we  pray  or 
no.     But,  by  those  vdio  can  entertain  this  idea,  it  is 
not  duly  considered,  that  prayer  is  in  the  moral,  what 
any  other  ordinary  cause  is  in  the  physical  Avorld, — a 
means  established  by  God  himself, — a  linli:  in  the  grand 
chain  of  cause  and  effect,  which  not  only  comprehends 
both  the  physical  and  moral  departments  of  his  govern- 
ment, but  combines  the  two,  and  establishes  a  very  in- 
timate relation  betwixt  their  several  parts, — a  cause,  in 
fact,  which  is  not  less  regarded  by  God  than  any  other 
secondary  agent  in  nature.     It  might,  therefore,  with 
the  same  propriety  be  affirmed,  that  God's  omnipotent 
will  must  cause  the  predetermined  harvest  to  spring  up 
from  the  earth,  without  the  agency  of  manual  labour, 
as  that  God's  will  must  cause  the  fulfilment  of  such  of 
our  desires  as  are  in  unison  therewith,  without  the 
agency  of  prayer.    And,  be  it  observed,  that  even  were 
we  unable  to  obviate  the  difficulty,  we  cannot  fail,  at 
least,  to  perceive,  that  it  is  founded  on  a  principle 
directly  the  reverse  of  that  on  which  our  Lord  argued ; 
for,  so  far  from  regarding  the  infinite  knowledge,  or 


MEDITATION  XII.  241 

the  sovereign  will,  or  the  almighty  power  of  God,  as 
superseding  the  necessity  of  prayer  on  the  part  of 
man,  he  refers  to  these  as  the  yery  ground  and  reason, 
nay,  as  the  strongest  motive  and  encouragement  ol 
prayer:  "For  your  heavenly  Father  knoweth  that  ye 
have  need  of  these  things."  Were  we  to  act  on  any 
other  principle,  we  must  virtually  declare  that  we  will 
not  pray,  unless  we  are  allowed  to  dictate  to  God,  or 
assured  that  our  desires  shall  overrule  the  decision  of 
omniscient  wisdom ! 

Even  when  prayer  is  not  ejffectual  in  averting  or 
removing  the  evil  which  we  fear  or  endure,  yet  it  im- 
parts to  the  helieving  mind  the  strongest  of  all  consola- 
tion,—that  which  arises  from  the  persuasion  that  God's 
will  is  answered  hy  the  event,  and  that  any  other  result 
would  have  heen,  in  the  judgment  of  unerring  wisdom, 
neither  so  good  in  itself,  nor  so  heneficial  to  our  real 
interest.     If,  when  threatened  with  a  painful  bereave- 
ment, the  Christian  shall  so  far  forget  his  duty  and 
his  privilege,  as  to  omit  prayer,— after  the  event  has 
occurred,  he  must,  if  he  reflect  at  all,  he  distressed  hy 
the  thought,  that  timous  prayer  might  have  heen  the 
appointed  means,  for  aught  he  knows,  of  averting  that 
heavy  calamity,  and  that,  having  omitted  the  use  of 
that  means,  he  is  now  reaping  the  hitter  fruits  of  his 
own  negligence.     But  if  he  has  made  the  threatened 
visitation  a  subject  of  frequent  and  earnest  prayer,  and 
if  he  has  been  enabled,  in  the  spirit  of  childlike  sub- 
•nission,  to  commit  the  whole  case  into  God's  hand, 
then,  even  should  the  calamity  befaU  him,  he  has  the 


242  MEDITATION  XIT. 

consolation  of  knowing,  that  no  negligence  on  his  pan 
provoked  the  interposition  of  God,  nay,  that  the  event 
■vvas  absolutely  necessary,  in  the  opinion  of  One  who 
knows  his  whole  condition  and  prospects,  and  who  has 
taken  the  sole  management  of  his  affairs. 

Thus  did  David  act  in  the  case  of  his  child,  and 
thus  was  he  comforted  :  "  The  Lord  struck  the  child 
that  Uriah's  wife  bare  unto  David,  and  it  was  very 
sick.  David  therefore  besought  God  for  the  child ; 
and  David  fasted,  and  went  in  and  lay  all  night  upon 
the  earth.  And  the  elders  of  his  house  arose  and  went 
to  him,  to  raise  him  up  from  the  earth  ;  but  he  would 
not,  neither  would  he  eat  bread  with  them.  And  it 
came  to  pass  on  the  seventh  day,  that  the  child  died. 
And  the  servants  of  David  feared  to  tell  him  that  the 
child  was  dead  ;  for  they  said,  Behold,  while  the  child 
was  yet  alive,  we  spake  unto  him,  and  he  would  not 
hearken  unto  our  voice  ;  how  will  he  then  vex  himself, 
if  we  tell  him  that  the  child  is  dead?  But  when  David 
saw  that  his  servants  whispered,  David  perceived  that 
the  child  w^as  dead ;  therefore  David  said  unto  his 
servants.  Is  the  child  dead  ?  and  they  said.  He  is  dead. 
Then  David  arose  from  the  earth,  and  washed,  and 
anointed  himself,  and  changed  his  apparel,  and  came 
into  the  House  of  the  Lord^  and  worshipped.  Then 
he  came  to  his  own  house,  and,  when  he  required,  they 
set  bread  before  him,  and  he  did  eat.  Then  said  his 
servants  unto  him,  "WTiat  thing  is  this  that,  thou  hast 
done  ?  thou  didst  fast  and  weep  for  the  child  while  it 
was  alive ;  but  when  the  child  was  dead,  thou  didst 


MEDITATION  XII.  243 

arise  and  eat  bread.  And  he  said,  "While  the  child  was 
yet  alive,  I  fasted  and  wept,  for  I  said.  Who  can  tell 
whether  God  will  be  gracious  to  me,  that  the  child 
may  live?  but  now  he  is  dead,  wherefore  should  I  fast  ? 
can  I  bring  him  back  again  ?  I  shall  go  to  him,  but  he 
shall  not  return  to  me." 

Thus  also  did  St  Paul  act  in  similar  circumstances ; 
and  he  records,  as  the  result  of  his  prayer,  that  the 
outward  calamity  which  he  deprecated  was  continued 
with  him,  but  that  it  was  greatly  overbalanced  by  an 
enlarged  communication  of  divine  grace  :  "  Lest  I 
should  be  exalted  above  measure  through  the  abun- 
dance of  the  revelations,  there  was  given  unto  me  a 
thorn  in  the  flesh,  the  messenger  of  Satan  to  buifet 
me,  lest  I  should  be  exalted  above  measure.  For 
this  thing  I  besought  the  Lord  thrice,  that  it  might 
depart  from  me.  And  he  said  unto  me.  My  grace  is 
sufficient  for  thee,  for  my  strength  is  made  perfect  in 
iveakness.  Most  gladly,  therefore^  will  I  rather  glory 
in  my  infirmities,  that  the  power  of  Christ  may  rest 
upon  me.  Therefore  I  take  pleasure  in  infirmities,  in 
reproaches,  in  necessities,  in  persecutions,  in  distresses, 
for  Christ's  sake ;  for  when  I  am  weak,  then  am  I 
strong." 

Besides  Its  effect  in  averting  threatened  calamity,  or 
procuring  positive  blessings  at  the  hand  of  God,  prayer 
exercises  a  beneficial  infuence  on  the  mind,  and  thus 
fits  it  for  suffering,  and  relieves  it  when  calamity 
comes. 

The  degree  of  sorrow  that  is  occasioned  by  affile- 


244  MEDITATION  XII. 

tion  depends  a  great  deal  more  on  the  state  of  mind 
in  which  it  finds  the  sufferer,  than  on  the  amount  of 
the  calamity  itself.  The  same  trial  which  overwhelms 
one,  may  he  sustained  with  composure  and  comfort  by 
another,  and  that,  too,  although  both  are  equally  sen- 
sitive in  their  feelings.  This  difference  depends  on  the 
preparation  which  they  have  respectively  made  for  the 
event.  If  the  one  has  been  careless,  while  the  other 
was  thoughtful,  and,  above  all,  if  the  one  has  been 
negligent  in  fortifying  his  mind  by  prayer  and  suppli- 
cation, while  the  other,  under  a  deep  sense  of  his  lia- 
bility to  affliction,  and  his  dependence  on  God,  has 
betaken  himself,  in  the  exercise  of  humble  trust  and 
confidence,  to  the  throne  of  grace,  and  has  been  enabled 
there  to  repose  the  burden  of  his  anxieties  on  the 
Lord,  it  cannot  but  be  that  the  latter  will  feel  very 
differently  from  the  former,  when  the  event  occurs. 
And  that  event,  however  calamitous  in  itself,  will  be 
the  less  overwhelming  to  him,  in  proportion  as  he  was 
the  better  prepared  to  meet  it,  and  the  more  accus- 
tomed to  regard  it  in  connection  with  the  will  of  him, 
who  is  at  once  the  God  of  Providence,  and  the  hearer 
of  prayer. 

And  as  prayer,  offered  up  in  anticipation  of  suffering, 
puts  the  soul  in  a  right  state  of  preparation,  so,  by  vir- 
tue of  its  natural  influence,  it  has  the  effect  of  relieving 
the  mind  of  those  feelings,  which  severe  calamity,  when 
it  does  come,  must,  in  all  cases,  in  a  greater  or  less 
degree,  awaken.  Prayer  before  affliction,  fits  the  mind 
for  suffering ;  prayer  under  aMiction,  relieves  the  mind 


MEDITATION  XII.  245 

of  its  sorrow.  So  long  as  the  feelings  of  the  sufferer 
are  restrained  and  pent  up  within  his  own  hosora,  they 
prey  upon  his  internal  peace ;  hut  when  they  find  a 
channel  through  which  they  ohtain  utterance  and  ex- 
pansion, their  depressing  power  is  mitigated,  and  the 
heart  is,  in  part  at  least,  relieved  of  its  hurden.  Hence 
excessive  grief  is  often  mitigated  hy  copious  weeping, 
— much  more  hy  communion  with  a  dear  and  confiden- 
tial friend, — hut  most  of  all  by  prayer,  which  is  the 
heart's  communion  with  God,  the  best  and  nearest  of 
friends.  Those  who  have  witnessed  the  strong  agony 
of  grief,  occasioned  hy  some  sudden  and  unexpected 
calamity,  and  have  watched,  with  intense  anxiety,  its 
progress  and  results,  can  best  appreciate  the  benefit  of 
such  outlets  to  human  feeling,  and  they  will  testify, 
that  so  soon  as  the  grief  of  their  friend  found  vent  in 
tears  or  in  free  conversation,  they  felt  that  the  worst 
was  already  past.  And,  above  all,  if  the  sufferer  re- 
tired to  his  chamber,  and,  on  his  bended  knees,  poured 
out  his  soul  to  God  in  the  confidence  of  prayer,  a  calm 
serenity  and  composure  ensued,  which  shoAved  that  the 
crisis  was  over,  and  that,  too,  although  he  may  have 
prayed  with  strong  crying  and  tears.  It  may  be  diffi- 
cult to  account  for  the  relief  which  a  suffering  spirit 
derives  from  the  gushing  of  tears,  unless  it  be  resolved 
into  a  natural  harmony  between  the  physiology  of  the 
body,  and  the  deep  emotions  of  the  mind.  It  may  be 
difficult  also,  in  some  cases,  to  account  for  the  relief 
that  is  derived  from  the  mere  utterance  of  the  heart's 

fulness  into  the  ear  of  another,  unless  it  be  referred  to 

21* 


246  MEDITATION  XII. 

the  principle  of  sympathy,  -whose  law  seems  to  be, 
**  that  it  redoubleth  joys,  and  cutteth  griefs  in  halves  ; 
for,  as  there  is  no  man  that  imparteth  his  joys  to  his 
friend,  but  he  joyeth  the  more,  so  there  is  no  man  that 
imparteth  his  griefs  to  his  friend,  but  he  grieveth  the 
less."  *     But,  whatever  difficulty  may  be  felt  in  ascer- 
taining the  reason  why  such  outlets  of  feeling  are  so 
proverbially  the  means  of  relieving  sorrow,  surely  there 
can  be  none  in  accounting  for  the  relief  which  a  pious 
mind  experiences  in  unbosoming  its  sorrows  in  the  very 
presence  and  ear  of  its  God.     For  there,  at  his  foot- 
stool, who  dare  arraign  the  wisdom,  or  blame  the  rec- 
titude, or  question  the  sovereignty  of  him  from  whom 
affliction  comes  ?      In  prayer,  the  mind  is  brought 
into  immediate  contact  with  the  Supreme  Will ;  the 
sovereignty  of  God  is  recognised  and  felt;  the  wisdom 
of  his  dispensations  acknowledged ;  and  the  very  misery 
which  leads  the  sufferer  to  the  throne  of  grace,  is  the 
means  of  placing  him  in  a  position  in  which  he  feels 
that  he  must  adore  the  divine  goodness,  and  trust  in 
it  still,  notwithstanding  all  that  has  occurred,  other- 
wise he  has  neither  help  nor  hope.     By  the  very  act 
of  bending  the  knee  before  his  footstool,  the  Christian 
makes  all  these  acknowledgments,  and  gives  a  prac- 
tical expression  of  his  confidence  in  God's  faithfulness 
and  love, — he  repairs  to  God  as  his  friend — a  friend 
that  will  not  leave  him  nor  forsake  him.     And  if  such 
acknowledgments  be  made,  and  such  feelings  awaken- 
•  Lord  Bacon. 


MEDITATION  XII.  247 

ed,  in  the  hour  of  prayer,  is  not  his  spirit  thereby 
placed  in  the  best  condition  for  at  once  procuring  the 
mitigation  of  his  sorrow,  and  improving  by  the  cala- 
mity \vhich  has  called  it  forth  ?  It  is,  indeed,  wonder- 
ful, how  the  mind  clears  up  its  views  of  God's  dispen- 
sations, while  engaged  in  prayer.  At  first,  thick  clouds 
may  seem  to  darken  his  prospect,  but,  as  he  proceeds, 
streaks  of  light  break  through,  and  shine  in  upon  his 
spirit,  and,  "  while  he  sits  in  darkness,  the  Lord  is  a 
light  to  him."  "  AVhile  David  kept  silence,  his  bones 
waxed  old,  through  his  roaring  all  the  day  long;"  while 
"  he  restrained  prayer,  his  spirit  was  straitened  ;"  but 
no  sooner  did  he  pour  out  his  heart  before  God,  than 
he  "  was  compassed  about  with  songs  of  deliverance." 
In  such  a  case,  much  sorrow  may  still  remain,  but  the 
bitterness  of  grief  is  past.  The  subdued  and  humble 
feeling  which  affliction  is  designed  to  produce,  and  by 
which  it  operates,  in  part,  its  beneficial  results,  will 
characterise  the  sufi*erer,  long  after  the  agony  of  grief 
has  subsided  into  calm  resignation.  His  soul  will  no 
longer  resemble  the  troubled  sea  which  cannot  rest, 
but  will  be  like  "  a  weaned  child."  And  this  wdiole- 
some  conversion  of  the  excitement  of  violent  sorrow 
into  the  mild  virtue  of  suffering  affliction  with  patience, 
is  best  produced  by  the  agency  of  prayer. 

Such  is  the  natural  and  necessary  connection  bet^vixt 
affliction  and  prayer ; — affliction  prepares  the  mind  for 
prayer,  and  prayer  relieves  the  mind  under  affliction. 
But  let  it  not  be  expected  that  prayer  is  to  operate  as 
a  charm,  or  that  it  must  be  productive  of  instantaneous 


248  MEDITATION  XH. 

relief  in  all  cases  to  the  same  extent.  We  hare  heen 
speaking  of  the  influence  of  prayer  on  the  mind  of  a 
religious  sufferer ;  one  who  has  sincerely  embraced  the 
truth,  and  habitually  lived  under  the  control  of  Cliris- 
tianity.  Tlic  same  effects  cannot,  at  least  in  the  same 
degree,  or  all  at  once,  be  expected  to  flow  from  a  hasty 
recourse  to  God,  when  calamity  comes  on  one  who  has 
long  forgotten  and  abandoned  God  and  his  service.  In 
such  a  case,  the  sorrow  arising  from  outward  calamity 
will  be  aggra^"ated,  in  the  first  instance,  by  the  con- 
sciousness of  past  neglect,  even  in  a  mind  which  has 
never  altogether  disavowed  the  Christian  fiiith;  and 
one  of  the  severest    strujjcfles    which   affliction   will 

OCT 

awaken  in  the  bosom  of  such  a  man,  Avill  be  that 
betwixt  a  sense  of  duty  or  of  danger,  on  the  one  hand, 
which  impels  him  to  think  of  repairing  to  God  for 
help,  and  a  fearful  misgiving,  on  the  other,  as  to  God's 
willingness  to  receive  and  welcome  him,  after  sucli  long 
and  guilty  estrangement.  And  even,  should  the  former 
impulse  prevail  so  as  to  make  him  bend  his  knee  in 
God's  presence,  his  heart  will  still  be  straitened  by  fear, 
or  chilled  by  doubt,  or  stung  with  remorse,  such  as 
are  unknown  to  the  man  whose  heart  has  been  enlarjied 
and  cheered  by  frequent  communion  with  God,  as  a 
tried  and  constant  friend.  Nevertheless,  let  not  even 
the  most  guilty  or  nc^gligent  despair,  or  give  up  the 
effort,  under  the  pressure  of  such  feelings ;  let  them 
be  well  assured,  that  all  guilty  as  they  are,  God  is 
waiting  to  be  gracious  to  them  ;  that  to  them,  not  less 
than  to  others,  is  the  warrant  of  prayer  addressed,  aod 


MEDITATION  XII.  249 

'that  to-4beffl)  ai<^^  ^^^'^  *^*^  ^^  others,  is  the  warrant  of 
piaj:er  addressed,  and  the  promise  of  an  answer  given ; 
that  at  God's  right  hand  the  Redeemer  himself  is  ready 
to  receive  their  petitions,  and  to  present  them  with 
acceptance ;  and  that,  for  aught  they  know,  the  cala- 
mity which  has  hefallen  them  was  sent  for  the  express 
purpose  of  awakening  them  to  a  sense  of  their  guilt, 
in  so  long  neglecting  his  worship,  and  oi forcing  tliem^ 
when  they  would  not  be  persuaded  by  gentler  methods, 
to  pray.  Before  they  adopt  the  desperate  resolution 
of  abandoning  this  privilege,  it  becomes  them  seriously 
to  consider  that  they  may  thus  frustrate  the  very  pur- 
pose of  God  in  sending  affliction ;  that  if  they  give  up 
prayer,  they  give  up  all  help  and  hope ;  that  nothing 
else  remains  for  them  but  to  endure  sufferings,  with- 
out being  sanctified  by  them  ;  and  that  if  they  will  not 
pray  when  God  chastises  them,  nothing  on  earth  is 
likely  to  make  them  pray,  until  that  hour  shall  come 
when  prayer  itself  will  be  unavailing ;  and  when,  in 
answer  to  their  importunate  cry,  "  Lord,  Lord,  open 
unto  us,"  they  will  hear  only  these  awful  words,  "  I 
never  knew  you,  depart  from  me ;" — "  for  when  I 
called,  ye  refused  ;  when  I  stretched  out  my  hand,  no 
man  regarded ;  ye  set  at  nought  all  my  counsel,  and 
would  none  of  my  reproof;  I  also  will  laugh  at  your 
calamity,  and  mock  wlien  your  fear  cometh.  Then 
shall  they  call  upon  me,  but  I  will  not  answer ;  they 
shall  seek  me  early,  but  shall  not  find  me, — for  that 
ihej  hated  knowledge,  and  did  not  choose  the  fear  of 
the  Lord." 


250  MEDITATION  XII. 

Is  any  man  afflicted  ?  Let  him  go  this  instant  to 
prayer  ! 

In  adclition  to  his  own  supplications,  the  mourner 
is  exhorted  to  avail  himself  of  the  intercession  of  others. 
"  Is  any  sick  among  you  ?  Let  him  call  for  the  elders 
of  the  church,  and  let  them  pray  over  him,  anointing 
him  with  oil  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  ;  and  the  prayer 
of  faith  shall  save  the  sick,  and  the  Lord  shall  raise 
them  up  ;  and  if  he  have  committed  sins,  they  shall 
be  forgiven  him."  Part  of  the  promise  here  annexed 
to  prayer,  was,  we  have  reason  to  believe,  peculiar  to 
the  times  of  the  apostles,  when  some  were  endowed 
with  the  gift  of  healing ;  but  while,  in  modem  times, 
we  are  not  warranted  to  expect  miraculous  cures,  we 
are  still  encouraged  to  pray,  in  the  assurance,  that  if 
it  be  really  good  for  them,  the  sick  shall  be  restored, 
and  that,  at  all  events,  their  sins  shall  be  forgiven. 
They  are  exhorted,  in  the  first  instance,  to  call  on  the 
office-bearers  of  the  church,  the  elders  or  presbyters, 
who  are  elscwhcie  spoken  of  as  constituting  two  classes, 
the  one  appointed  to  preach  the  Avord  and  to  administer 
the  siicraments,  the  othtr,  as  helps  for  the  right  govern- 
ment and  cdificatio]!  of  the  church.  The  second 
class,  who  are  commonly  called  elders,  are  exempted 
from  the  more  public  ministrations  of  the  word,  but 
may  be  both  lawfully  and  usefully  employed  in  visit- 
ing the  sick  and  ministering  to  their  instruction  and 
comfort  in  private.  And  surely  it  is  a  blessed  task, 
the  most  blessed  in  which  any  man  can  be  engaged,  to 
pour  into  the  wounded  spirit  the  oil  of  consolation,  to 


MEDITATION  XII.  251 

comfort  tliose  that  mourn,  to  bind  up  tlie  broken- 
hearted, and  to  make  the  desolate  glad  ! 

But  this  privilege  is  not  confined  to  the  office-bear- 
ers of  the  Christian  Church.  The  disciples  at  large 
are  exhorted  to  comfort  each  other  bj  their  mutual 
prayers ;  for,  addressing  the  Avhole  body  of  the  dis- 
ciples, the  apostle  adds,  "  confess  your  faults,"  i.  e., 
not  your  private  sins,  but  those  faults  by  which  you 
have  injured  or  offended  your  brother, — "  confess  your 
faults  one  to  another,  and  praj/  one  for  another ;  the 
effectual  fervent  prayer  of  a  lighteous  man  availeth 
much."  Where  real  religion  prevails,  there  will  be 
much  profitable  intercourse  of  this  nature  amongst  the 
serious  members  of  the  church ;  and  it  speaks  little 
for  the  state  of  religion  in  any  place,  where  none  save 
the  minister  can  be  found  to  pray  by  the  bed  of  sick- 
ness or  of  death. 

Bat  let  it  not  be  supposed  by  the  people,  that  the 
intercessory  prayer  of  others  is  to  supersede  their 
personal  supplications,  or  that  it  will  avail  for  their 
benefit  while  they  continue  to  neglect  their  own  duty. 
There  is,  I  fear,  much  misconception — misconception 
approaching  very  near  to  superstition — in  the  minds 
of  many  on  this  subject.  They  seem  to  look  on  the 
prayer  of  a  minister  in  the  time  of  sickness,  or  at  the 
hour  of  death,  as  nothing  more  than  a  decent  obser- 
vance, conformable  to  the  custom  of  the  country  in. 
which  they  live ;  or  as  a  charm  which  is  to  operate 
apart  from  all  other  means  of  a  moral  nature ; — else, 
why  is  sickness  allowed  to  take  its  course  till  insensi- 


252  MEDITATION  XII. 

blllty  ensue,  before  the  minister  is  sent  for  ?  and  "vvhy 
are  a  few  words  of  prayer  more  eagerly  sought  than 
the  instructions  v.hich  he  may  deem  necessary  to 
arouse,  or  awaken,  or  convince  the  dying  sufferer  ? 
And  if  it  he  tlius  regarded,  what  substantial  difference 
exists  betwixt  the  prayer  of  a  Protestant  minister  and 
the  extreme  unction  of  a  Romish  priest  ?  The  prayer 
of  a  minister  is  of  no  avail,  unless  it  lead  the  patient 
to  think,  and  to  believe,  and  to  pray  for  himself ;  it 
is  a  moral  meansy  fitted  to  enlighten  the  mind  and  to 
soften  the  heart  of  the  sufferer  ;  but  if  no  such  effect 
ensue,  it  is  practically  useless.  A  minister  cannot 
pray  a  man  into  heaven  against  his  will ;  it  is  by  his 
own  will  being  moved  and  going  forth  in  earnest 
supplication,  that  the  mighty  change  is  effected ;  and 
let  it  never  be  forgotten,  that  while  the  apostle  exhorts 
the  afflicted  to  call  for  the  elders  of  the  church,  the 
command  is  equally  express — "  Is  any  among  i^ou 
afflicted  ?  let  him  pray." 

It  sometimes  happens,  that  when  a  member  of  a 
family  is  smitten  with  disease,  and  the  symptoms  are 
such  as  to  awaken  very  serious  apprehensions  as  to 
the  result,  the  parents,  or  others  in  charge,  refraiu  from 
requesting  the  attendance  of  a  minister  or  elder,  nay, 
are  anxious  to  exclude  all  such  from  the  sick-room, 
owing  to  a  very  mistaken  delicacy  which  makes  them 
afraid  to  show  any  symptoms  of  apprehension,  lest  the 
disease  should  thereby  be  aggravated,  or  the  last  mo- 
ments of  the  sufferer  disturbed.  If  such  persons  be 
decided  infidels,  their  conduct  may  be  accounted  for, 


MEDITATION  XH.  253 

although,  like  every  other  effect  of  infidelit/,  it  is  deeply 
to  be  deplored ;  hut  if  they  he  professing  Christians, 
how  can  we  sufficiently  reprobate  the  insensibility 
which  would  leave  the  helpless  sufferer  to  sink  un- 
consciously into  the  grave,  without  any  means  being 
used  to  prepare  him  for  that  eternity  on  which  he 
must  soon  enter  ?  Above  all,  what  shall  we  say,  if, 
besides  excluding  the  minister  of  religion  from  that 
death-bed,  they  have  neither  the  kindness  nor  the 
courage  to  kneel  down  beside  it  themselves,  and  pour 
out  their  hearts  in  prayer?  Oh!  this  cold,  frigid, 
nominal  Christianity,  is  as  unsuitable  to  a  death-bed 
as  infidelity  itself;  and  cheerless,  indeed,  is  that  house- 
hold where  the  voice  of  prayer  is  not  heard,  even 
when  an  immortal  spirit  is  quitting  it  for  heaven  or 
for  hell ! 

It  is  not  the  least  of  the  many  advantages  attending 
the  regular  observance  of  family  worship,  that  provision 
is  thus  made,  beforehand,  for  this  exercise,  in  such 
seasons  of  affliction  as  may  be  expected  to  occur  in 
every  household ;  and  that,  without  any  violent  effort, 
or  any  departure  from  ordinary  custom,  parents,  chil- 
dren, and  servants,  may  unite  together  in  prayer,  on 
behalf  of  any  one  of  their  number  that  has  been  smit- 
ten by  disease;  that  their  benevolent  affections  are 
thus  at  once  expressed  and  strengthened ;  and  that,  aa 
disease  advances  to  its  consummation,  their  minds  are 
gradually,  and  almost  imperceptibly,  prepared  for  the 
event.     And,  oh  1  it  is  sweet  to  the  sufferer  that  he  is 

thus  remembered !     Especially,  if  a  member  of  that 

22 


254  MEDITATION  XII. 

houseliold  be  smitten  •with  disease,  while  he  Is  at  a 
distance  from  home,  and  suddenly  brought  to  the 
gates  of  death,  is  it  no  consolation  to  him  to  be  as- 
sured, that  at  a  certain  hour  each  day,  father  and 
mother,  sisters  and  brothers,  will  remember  him  at 
the  throne  ?  and  is  it  not  equally  consoling  to  them, 
that,  far  as  he  is  beyond  the  reach  of  their  personal 
attentions,  they  can  thus  commit  him  to  the  care  of 
an  Omnipresent  God ! 


fHE  END. 


IB" 


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Date  Due 

h.  S    •> 

t^lMMM* 

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iiiiii 


1    1012  01004  9775 


1 

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